Captive to Captivate
by TomoStars
Summary: Mouri Motonari and Chousokabe Motochika-the warring sons of the sun and sea. After a battle the two unconsciously find themselves captivated by the other. Is it possible for the two to grow to understand one another? M in Chapter 4
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys~  
>My friends probably know it's about<br>damn time I wrote a fanfic on  
>Sengoku Basara.<br>This is going to be a shorter multiple  
>chapter story compared to my other ones.<br>I think this one's going to comprise of around  
>four to five chapters.<br>This story contains BL in it between  
>Chousokabe Motochika and Mouri Motonari.<br>DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "SENGOKU BASARA" OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! CAPCOM DOES!  
>I DO HOWEVER, OWN THIS FANFIC.<br>**

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><p><strong>Nichirin. Ware no Aruji. <strong>_**~The Sun. My Master.~**_

_O great sun that rises in the east_

_Your light dances upon the ripples of the sea_

_Come_

_Embrace this loyal child of yours_

_Take him before he is wrapped within the crashing waves_

_Envelop him afore he becomes lost to the Seto Sea._

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><p>The sound of seagulls echoed along the horizon. The entrancing smell of sea salt drifted over the surrounding Seto region. And with the scent came the gentle breeze that danced across the slumbering land of Aki. The sun's rays gracefully weaved their way over the waking sea and found their way into the western Chuugoku's daimyo's private chamber. Like a mother waking her child, her hands of light moved through his hair and gently caressed his porcelain face. The faithful and obedient child slowly opened his eyes and began to rise like his mother. His brunette locks cascaded around his face as he awoke.<p>

His eyes stared through the illuminated crack of the fusuma doors. The sunlight begged for entrance. Responding to its wishes the young leader whisked the doors open letting in the rising sun. Its beauty only highlighted by its shimmering reflections on the sea's surface. He closed his eyes as he took the new morning's greeting in. The sea breeze blew through his hair as the sun's warmth took him into her arms. His clothes flowed in the wind.

It had been a long night. The moon was high the last time his eyes were open. He turned behind him to see papers scattered across a small table. The black ink on the brush was dry from being in the open for too long. He let out a small sigh and grabbed a cloth along with a small basin of water and began to clean the bristles. His fingers delicately cleaned the brush and before long he was done. He wiped his fingers carefully and made sure not a trace of black remained. Satisfied, he took up the paper on his desk and read through it. A perfectly flawless poem in every way. What else was to be expected from him?

"Lord Motonari."

He bothered not to turn around. "Enter," he replied. The sound of the door sliding open, cut through the room. "What is it at this early hour?"

"Sir," the soldier voiced, "we have reports an unauthorized ship approaching the south-east coast."

"And?"

"S-Sir?" the officer stuttered, at the sharp reply.

"What is it that you wish for me to say?" he coldly asked. He slowly turned around, with his posture full of both arrogance and nobility. The sun's rays illuminated around him, further emphasizing his position. "If it is unauthorized, destroy it. For it possesses no business on our shores. Can you not think on your own?"

"M-My apologies my lord," he stuttered as he lowered his head. "But it has been confirmed that the ship belong to Chousokabe Motochika," he replied.

The sound of that dreadful man's name made his heart and body cringe. His sharp brown eyes narrowed in disgust. A gull's cry rang out. With the presence of that of a death god, Mouri elegantly rose to his feet. The soldier dared not raise his head at his fearsome lord.

"Fetch me my armor," he coldly commanded, "We depart the minute I am prepared."

"Yes sir!" the man replied as he quickly scurried off. It was not a moment later that the horns of preparation and battle began to ring out.

The warlord stepped out again onto his balcony and gazed upon the sea before closing his eyes to take in the sun.

"Nichirin. Bless this child and the children of this land. I pray for victory in your name," he rang out.

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><p>The Mouri army was up in arms within a matter of minutes as was its commander. It was moments after then that soldiers were mounted upon ships and lined up along the shore. Mouri stood on the highest cliff as he looked out onto the sea. His steady eyes finally locked onto a tiny dot on the horizon line. And from how fast it was approaching, he could only assume it was Chousokabe. For no other man possessed the speed, nor power of his ship.<p>

"Children of Nichirin! I send you forth! Defend Aki at all costs!" he ordered as he stretched a hand towards the enemy. The cries of battle rang out as the ships moved forward at full speed. It was not long after that the whistling sounds of cannon fire came whirling through the air and exploding the shoreline. Mouri remained on shore with a decent number of troops as his fleet rushed forward. To another's eyes this would seem like a poor tactic on his part. He was obviously overpowered. Or not.

Chousokabe's war fortress easily glided through the line of ships but at the cost of them blowing up as he did causing damage to his defenses. As small as the Mouri's ships were, the explosions they were causing with their destruction was proving to be troublesome. Moreover, there were a great number of them. Chousokabe quickly realized this and ordered a halt. But at this exact moment, archers on the shorelines fired thousands of fire-tipped arrows down upon the ships. Setting off large explosions around the surrounded fortress. Bodies of both armies were flying left and right.

At the sight of such cruel destruction, Chousokabe angrily cringed. "Mouri, you bastard. You sent these men to their deaths," he raged under his breath.

"Captain!" called one of his sailors. "We've taken too much damage! We can't move from here! We need to repair it now! If we move we'll sink!"

The Demon of the Western Seas let out a curse. "Understood! Get some men and repair her! I'll buy ya' some time! The minute we're repaired retreat!"

"Leave it to me!" he answered as he ran off.

"HEY YA' DOGS! DEFEND THE SHIP AT ALL COSTS! I'M COUNTING ON YA' GUYS!" he roared to his crew.

"AYE AYE SIR!" They cried in unison.

Chousokabe leapt off the ship and kicked his anchor into high gear as he weaved around the Mouri Army's suicidal ships. As he passed by one of the enemy ships he saw a soldier crying hot tears as he shook in fear for his life. Yet his gaze was hysteric. Shifting back and forth from the enemy to his allies on land. As Chousokabe skid through the line of ships he saw more men with similar reactions.

"Dammit! I just want to go home!" one cried as he fired an arrow towards the fortress. His voice full of fear, sorrow, and desperation.

The cries of Mouri's men set the pirate's rage ablaze. How could someone send these soldiers to their deaths without so much as a care in the world? No. That man didn't see these soldiers as men. He saw them as nothing more than pawns to use. Such a despicable man. He felt sorrow for the men who had to serve under such a lord.

In his fiery rage, Chousokabe ran through several of Mouri's ships that were far enough away from causing any damage to his. They exploded neatly in a domino fashion as he rushed towards the shore. "MOURI!" he rang out as he surfed over the raging waves.

Mouri's cold stare locked with the pirate's heated gaze. "Order the pawns to hold their ground and to strike down anyone who tries to set foot on the shore," Mouri commanded.

"Yes sir," replied the general who quickly relayed the message to the soldiers. As Chousokabe approached, a shower of arrows came raining down on him. With the ones he couldn't dodge, he deflected them away or they were simply burned by his anchor.

"Useless fools," Mouri quietly snapped under his breath, before hopping down the cliff and onto the rocky shore with speed and grace. His blades configured into their ring shape as he spun them around revealing the beautifully destructive light. As Chousokabe approached, the pillars of light exploded and forced the pirate to change course as he skid along the coast, to which he was shot at by a barrage of arrows. Much to his luck, they seemed to miss him by a hair. As he began to turn towards the coast line, he was intercepted by Mouri who was skating on the water beside him.

"You bastard!" Chousokabe roared as his anchor clashed with Mouri's blade. "You planned for this didn't you?" he fumed. Their weapons clashed several times, each filled with their burning desire to fight and kill the other. The two were fighting along the coastline, tracing the line of land and sea.

The two landed themselves on two steady rocks that jetted out of the water. The sun barred down on them through the clouds. "Fool," Mouri hissed, "my calculations were perfect. Those men are nothing but expendable tools in this war. They were born into this world as pawns and they shall have suitable deaths. Do you show pity for them?"

The waves crashed against their footing. "Heh, you haven't changed a bit have ya', Mouri?" laughed Chousokabe as he held back is anger, "Still the cruel and heartless bastard you've always been." The waves crashed sending shimmering droplets of water into the air. "And yeah, I do pity the men out there that fight for you. If I was one of them, I would've killed you in your sleep," he said grinning as he prepared to attack.

"Such worthless sentiments, as expected from an idiot who relies solely on brawn," Mouri coolly replied as he braced himself, "I would have cut you down the second you tried such a folly attempt on my life." The two leapt into the air simultaneously and began their strikes once again. Their fight went on for what felt like hours. Their weapons' clashes seemed like nothing more than blurs of light and steel. The waters' splashes only further adding to their weapons forceful impacts with each other.

From the corner of Chousokabe's eye, he saw his ship was retreating. The Demon's only thought was for his crew's safety. And from the looks of it, they were going to be alright. Seeing his opponent's attention drifting off elsewhere for a moment, Mouri struck a blind spot with ease. The pirate barely managed to defend himself and was forced onto the defensive.

"Shit!" he cursed, "I was careless!"

Seeing their boss in trouble, Chousokabe's mates took aim at his assailant. Mouri's officers were frozen in place, only praying that the two's fight would not hit their mine-like ships. Mouri's attacks had no stop to them. His blades spun and struck like lightning. If there was a pause it was only for a split second.

Chousokabe managed to push Mouri back just enough to find landing on top of one of Mouri's ships and Mouri landed directly across from him on the same boat. Chousokabe's men took aim with their cannons, rifles, and arrows. The two men were standing on a time bomb. If they fired and missed their boss would be caught in the explosion. The Mouri soldiers on the boat took aim at Chousokabe yet they too did not fire. They were at a standstill.

The remaining boats of Mouri's fleet all had their archers and gunners aimed at the sailors on Chousokabe's sea fortress. It was a tense situation. A single shot could set everything ablaze. The two commanders stood facing each other but neither daring to move.

Ideas began to swirl in Mouri's head. If he were to lunge for the pirate, there would be no doubt that some idiot would take the shot at him and obviously miss, yet in reaction to the attempt at his life, his mindless pawns would shoot thus enraging the pirates who would in turn, return fire only to blow them all out of the water. If Mouri were to retreat, the arrow and cannon fire would no doubt leave him badly injured, if not kill him. There were not many options.

Chousokabe's instincts weren't breaking down the options like Mouri was but they were telling him not to move. His one visible sea blue eye was locked in a stare off with Mouri's darkened brown graze. Neither of them giving any attempt for an opening. Not a sound could be heard except for the waves hitting the sides of the boats.

The pirate let out a taunting laugh. "Are we just going to stare at each other all day, Mouri?"

Mouri narrowed his eyes in response. "I would rather not," he replied sharply, "But it appears I have no choice but to."

The long silence continued. The cry of a seagull passed overhead. Yet something that neither of the two expected to happen did. Nerves had gotten to someone as an explosion rang somewhere out of their sight. And a moment later, just as Mouri had predicted, the soldiers and sailors began shooting at one another. Mouri and Chousoukabe quickly jumped as arrows and cannon fire hit the ship they were on. Yet the explosion was far too great with the added explosions from the ships around them. The two were sent flying in unknown directions. The last thing they saw was an eyeful of flames and destruction.

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><p>The sound of waves and footsteps along the sand approached. The wet sand beneath him was a comfort. His body, far too tired to move. His eyes refusing to open.<p>

"Over here! Hurry!" he heard as someone placed a hand on his back. "Lord Motonari! Lord Motonari!"

"Is he alive?"

"Yes! He's breathing!"

The young lord's limp body was handled gently by his unnamed officers. His mind blank and fuzzy. His only thoughts were to sleep as his body was numb. His consciousness faded once again under the cloud covered sky.

* * *

><p>He was drifting somewhere. The sun was high and her rays stretched across the sky. How wonderful. Such a lovely sight. Yet the scene faded as the waters beneath him began to grab at his limbs and violently ravaged him. He wanted to move yet his body remained still. As the waters dragged him under their surface, the violence stopped. Their currents wrapped themselves around him holding him. He wanted air. He wanted to see the sun filled sky. Under the sea, the sun was becoming nothing more than a circle of light. Yet as he sank deeper into the abyss, his mind began to drift away. The water that had once pained his lungs now became a comfort. The currents passed over his body and embraced him. He was being taken by something. Or someone.<p>

The next time he woke, he was in his bed. His wife's crying and his son's (Takamoto's) voice from down the hall stirred him. His young son, who was barely five, was trying to comfort his mother the best he could. He blotted out the noise and slowly turned his head to the open doors. The sun was peeking behind the clouds. He was reminded of his dream by a lone ray of sunlight. His thoughts pondered hazily on what his dream could have meant. His daze was cut through when the doctor entered the chamber.

"Lord Motonari!" he let out in shock. "You're awake! Thank goodness! It's been three days you've been out," he said.

Three days. Was that all?

"You are lucky, my lord," he continued, "You have a couple of broken ribs but nothing else seems to be out of place. You need to take it easy for a while. Too much excitement for you could hinder your recovery."

He blinked lightly in response as the doctor bowed and took his leave to inform his family of his awakening. It was moments after that his wife and child came into the room. She was crying tears of joy as Takamoto silently watched over her. After Mouri managed to calm her down, she and their son retired to their chambers. After the two had left, he managed to properly sit himself up despite the sharp pain. After a few minutes, the pain receded a bit and he promptly called for an officer for a report of what had happened while he was out. One of his generals entered the chamber and showed some shock at his lord's respectable appearance despite his current condition. Mouri's dagger like stare stabbed through the officer, causing a sudden chill to run up his spine.

The man cleared his throat. "Sir, I am pleased to see that you are recovering nic-"

"That is enough," he interrupted, "I want to hear what has occurred in my absence."

"Yes sir. The pirates fled back to their homeland and we have not seen or heard of them since," he quickly answered.

"What of Chousokabe?"

The lord noticed the soldier tensed up. The officer swallowed hard. "He washed up on our shores. He was injured and unconscious," he replied trying to keep it together, "he woke up about two days ago and is currently in the lower dungeons."

Mouri's eyes narrowed. So he is still alive. Then again, it came as no surprise considering that barbaric man's physical build. Yet this came as a rather unpleasantly interesting development.

"You kept him alive?" The young lord's monotone voice merely echoed both his irritation and keen interest.

The soldier began to panic. "W-Well sir, we were unaware of what to do with him," he began. "I thought you wanted to be the one to execute him or at least be the witness to his death, my lord. So I suggested we imprison him."

There was another pause. "…_You_ thought?" Mouri mused emotionlessly.

"Yes my lord," he said trembling.

The young ruler of Aki opened his mouth again. "I gave you orders. To kill anyone who sets foot on Aki's shores," he said, the darkness behind his voice growing. "And you brought this intruder into my home."

The general quickly realized his mistake and raised his head in desperation. "No sir! It was not my intention to bring him into our walls as a threat! I was only thinking of yo-"

"Do not mistake your negligence to my direct order as a gesture of service to your lord," Mouri cut in. He eyed the two soldiers by the door forward.

"Please my lord! Show mercy! I really was only thinking of you!" he begged, burying his head into the ground. "I can still have him executed!" The two summoned soldiers grabbed the man by the arms and began to drag him away. "PLEASE! SPARE THIS LIFE!"

Mouri raised a hand to the soldiers to cease and the two dropped him hard on the floor. "I spare your life on a whim. I shall deal with Chousokabe Motochika. Till then, I suggest you pray that misfortune does not befall upon Chugoku from your failure to follow my orders," he icily stated. "Now leave my sight before my mind changes."

The officer bowed deeply and quickly shuffled out of the room. Mouri excused the two soldiers by the door to leave him in peace. The room regained its silence and the daimyo found himself thinking in it. The young lord gently fell back on his futon and slowly closed his eyes. He would deal with this pirate lord tomorrow. For now, all he wanted was to rest and not think at all.

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><p>Down in the dungeons below, Chousokabe Motochika sat leaning against a wall. His only comfort was that his boys appeared to have gotten away. Of course, he also would have liked to have joined them but when Mouri's soldiers found him, he was already out like a light. Not to mention when he came to he was transported to this god forsaken prison. Furthermore, he had no idea of the whereabouts of his anchor.<p>

His only light were the dimly lit lanterns as his shadow flickered against the damp walls. It was cold, dark, and not to mention it reeked of death. Yet regardless of his current surroundings, he was thankful that the Mouri patched up his wounds, despite how poorly done it was. But since they did so, he could only guess that their commander was either unconscious or had gone a sudden personality change, to which the latter seemed unlikely.

He stood up and ventured to the bars. "Wonder what that scoundrel Mouri's up to," he muttered, "If he's unconscious, I hope he stays that way. It'll give me more time to regain my strength and bust out of this hole." He strolled back to the wall as he crossed his arms and leaned against the cold stones.

At that moment, he heard the main door to the dungeon open. Slow and precise footsteps echoed off the walls. The pirate simply remained against the wall staring harshly in front of him through the bars. The footsteps continued toward his cell and finally their owner came to view.

A cocky smile came across the pirate's face. "So, what brings the lord himself down here?" he asked.

Mouri was not in his usual armor; rather, he was in his shrine robes. "So you really are down here," he thought aloud. "I hear you failed to even put up a fight…A shame coming from you."

"Heh, so says the guy who's been out cold for days," he sneered, "and what's with the clothes? Back from a funeral?"

The lord's eye twitched at the comment. "I was expecting to hear of your escape," he stated ignoring the pirate's previous remarks, "yet here you are."

"Sorry for killing your expectations," Chousokabe mused with an arrogant grin.

"For you, I had very little to begin with," Mouri countered. "It's been four days. Your men have yet to return for you. If they try to, they'll be killed instantaneously with the absence of your leadership."

Chousokabe stepped towards the bars. "You don't need to worry about those guys. They got guts and they'll be fine without me for a while," he said. He slammed his forearm onto the bars as he leaned his head towards his captor, "So don't you go writing them off just yet."

"You think too highly of such expendables," he said unflinching. "It will not be long till I take control of the entire Seto Sea region."

"HAH. You got some nerve," he sneered through the bars, "The only way you'd be able to accomplish that is if you kill me."

"That is being arranged as we speak."

"Oh~ you don't say?"

Within a matter of milliseconds, Chousokabe lashed his arm out through the bars and grabbed Mouri by the neck. Mouri glared as the hand began to squeeze. The two exchanged daunting looks at one another. Their auras starting to bubble up as they locked heated eyes.

"So the caged sea monkey resorts to violence as a last resort?" Mouri spat trying to retain his calm façade.

"I can break your neck like this," the pirate replied, "I'm not called the Demon of the Western Seas for nothing."

With the lord's neck in his hand, Chousokabe started to see some mysterious radiance coming from him. Mouri Motonari's eyes narrowed unyieldingly. So full of cold pride and nobility all while containing such beauty. The brown orbs glowed brightly in the dim light. His dark chestnut hair dangled from his head over his pale neck. The young lord's delicate yet strong hands found their way to the Demon's wrist. He had a solid fragile touch and surprisingly, his hands were warm. Mouri's physical appearance was striking, much like the sun itself. Despite his harsh and frozen personality, there was warmth emanating from this man. Chousokabe was at a sudden loss as he looked into his sworn rival's eyes. There was something lonely behind that dark gaze.

Being in this brute's grasp rattled the lord of Aki. He knew full well of how strong Chousokabe Motochika was, yet this strength was something to marvel at. It was as if the seas had taken the shape of a man—the crashing waves were his strength. However his uncovered eye sparkled with all the beauty of the calm yet powerful waters he had sailed on. Indeed this man had earned his title of "Demon of the Western Seas". His hair as white as that of a demon forged from the sea foam. Truly a sight to behold, especially when one is in the grasp of such a being.

Chousokabe's grip loosened for a moment, to which Mouri took the chance and jolted backwards while forcing the hand away. Releasing himself from the pirate's hold, the two stood staring at each other with mixed expressions. Silence drifted between them and remained there till Mouri left the dungeon.

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><p>The captive pirate lord slid back against the wall and closed his eyes. Why was it that he hesitated to take that man's life? He could have easily done it. The image and feel of the delicate radiant being came back to mind. He sat in silence feeling the unexpected warmth that lingered in his hand.<p>

Like a wandering spirit, Mouri quickly and elegantly passed by his men as he returned to his quarters. The door slid shut behind him as he drifted over to the shoji door that revealed his armor and swords. How many times had he clashed with Chousokabe? He reached out to touch his cold blade. How many times had these swords reflected the Demon of the Western Seas' appearance? The man's appearance and touch bubbled up in thought, causing the lord to bring a hand to his slightly battered neck. The Demon's haunting touch filled his senses with the intoxicating smell of sea salt and sand.

The sun began to sink below the horizon as the moon began to rise. The sun did one last peek at the land below. Curious about her faithful son; yet, equally concerned about the boy of the sea. As the sun melted away into the waters, the moon's light swayed whimsically over the ripples. The sea's voice, of gently rolling waves upon the sand, cried out to her trapped son. Her interest in the sun's child's intentions, however, piqued her curiosity. What the two children were thinking, was far beyond their celestial mothers' comprehensions. All sun and sea could do was watch over their sons and hope that this sudden turn of fate would make the two learn to coexist with one another.

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><p><strong>And end of chapter 1.<br>Hope you enjoyed it.  
>Please R&amp;R!<br>I enjoy reading comments!  
>Thank you and look forward to<br>chapter 2!  
>-Lin<br>**


	2. Chapter 2

**And another chapter.  
>I go back to classes tomorrow and I'm dreading it.<br>Real fast chapter.  
>Then again, this is a shorter story of mine.<br>So enjoy.  
>DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "SENGOKU BASARA" OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! CAPCOM DOES!<br>I DO, HOWEVER, OWN THIS FANFIC.  
>ENJOY.<strong>

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><p><strong>Kizuna. Tsukaenai Mono <em>~Bond. Useless Thing.~<em>**

_Strings of fate that drift along in the wind_

_You drawing individuals together regardless of their wishes_

_Some carry comfort_

_Others, a curse._

_A string soaked in crimson blood and deep passion_

_It tangles with the sea breeze_

_Is it love?_

_I say not_

_For my heart is already bound to another_

_But if that is so_

_Why is it that this string tied to you_

_Makes my heart ache so?_

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><p>A feather drifts down from the heavens as a gull of the sea passes over the coast line. It dances in the wind, caressing the tops of trees and skidding over the rocky cliffs. It dodges past clashing waves as sea spray tickles it surface. A sea breeze sends the delicate feather to an unfamiliar scene—walls and shrines crawling with both armored and robed men. The sounds of the ocean are near and the warmth of the sun gives the traveling feather a sweet kiss. It drifts through the hallways and up over the tiled roof tops of the castle till it reaches a courtyard landing next to the lord.<p>

The young armored warlord watches the demonstration of his troops' training while his generals and advisors report of various battles and news from around the country. They frantically express growing tensions surrounding Shikoku as well as how the battles were going on the western border of Chuugoku. Apparently the west troops were currently in dire need for backup. Thus, it as decided that the Suo region would be the region most willing to give up a few of its soldiers.

The demonstration's warriors' sweat and looks of determination leave the ruler of Aki unfazed. For this much is to be expected of worker ants. As his eyes pan over the unnamed soldiers, a young officer falls over from exhaustion. His chest rises and falls as his eyes refuse to open. Beads of sweat pour down his tired face into his hair as if he had just come from a swim in the Seto Sea. His commanding officer rushes over to him urging him to rise to his feet to which he declines saying it's not possible.

"Get up!" the man yells almost sounding like a plea, "Our lord is watching!"

"I-It's no use," the boy pants, "M-My body won't move…"

Mouri's eyes pass over the pitiful scene and continues to observe the others.

"Sir," whispers one of his generals, "what shall we do with the boy?"

Without so much as a glance or fluctuation in his voice, he answers, "Remove him. He is of no use to this demonstration. The longer he stays the more of a nuisance he becomes."

In a matter of seconds the boy was carted off elsewhere and the demonstration continued on to the end of the early afternoon. After a final bow from his troops, the young lord took his leave to return to his chambers. As he rises from his seat, the lone feather battering against his knee catches his eye. He gently picks it up and gazes at its simplicity as he leaves. Taking two steps out of the courtyard, he lets out a dreary sigh and throws the feather back to the wind.

* * *

><p>It rides along a wind current as it resumes its tour of the rest of the palace. Passing by the lord's wife as she watches their young son play as well as observing what appeared to be a place of worship. The wind dies down and the feather begins to fall gently back to the earth. As some foot soldiers walk pass by, they kick up a wind, sending the lone feather it into a lesser used portion of the grounds. It tumbles down a dark stairwell and a small air current blows it into a dingy chamber, where it comes in contact with another powerful man's foot.<p>

"Hn?"

Large yet kind hands pick the feather up and stroke its sides. The flickering light dances over its fibers, revealing its smooth white surface.

"A seagull feather, huh?" he says as he examines the specimen with his one good eye, "Ya' must've gotten really lost in order to get down here."

Chousokabe continues to stare at the estranged feather as he is reminded of his bird and sailing mates.

How long had it been since he'd been gone? He had no idea as no one would answer him when he asked and Mouri had not returned since his last meeting with him. For all he knew, Mouri could have wiped them out already. No. If that was the case, he would have heard cannon and gunfire. Not to mention he'd be dead.

He stretches his arms out and winces slightly at his bandaged side. It was still healing but every now and then, a sharp pain would ripple across his body. The absent lord of Shikoku peers down at the small feather in his hand and places it next to him.

The feather, so soft and fragile. It goes wherever the wind carries it. All in the meantime, it could be destroyed so easily; yet, when it's a part of a bird, it's able to help the bird fly, provide protection, as well as keeping it warm. The sea captain lets out a long exasperated sigh and lies on his back to look up at the non-existent sky. He stretches his hand to the ceiling and recalls his previous encounter with his captor. The warmth was now gone from his hand yet the memory of it remained. But when he thought of the warmth, he was reminded of Mouri's empty and lonely eyes.

He closes his fist and brings it to his chest. "If I stay in here any longer I swear I'm gonna forget what the sky looks like," he mutters to himself as he closes his eyes for a nap.

* * *

><p>While Chousokabe found the time to nap, Mouri found the time to remove himself from his armor and slip into a forest green yukata with small golden bamboo designs. To keep warm he also draped a dark haori over his shoulders. With reports and plans sprawled across one of his many desks, he took the liberty to review them all till he had each one of them memorized. Of course this was not a difficult task for the brilliant commander but at least it gave him something to do.<p>

He rolled the papers back up and set them in a side box with all his other documents. The daimyo stood up and stretched his arms and back as he ventured out of the small room and closed the passage behind him as he entered his connected chamber. A small chilly breeze flew in through the wide open doors to which he shivered slightly before stepping out onto the balcony. The sun was now covered by the clouds so he felt no significant warmth. It made him feel cold as if he was standing in the middle of the ocean.

A flurry whipped past his neck reminding him of his enemy down below. He bit his lip as he closed the haori's collar around his neck for warmth.

Mouri had yet to visit the caged demon since that incident. It had been a week and a half. Yet, since then, he had been receiving several letters and such from Chousokabe's people asking for his release or even a possibility for unarmed negotiations. All to which he had either declined or ignored. And surprisingly, they had not yet attempted to come retrieve him by force. But the last request he had recieved from them was about three days prior, which was odd considering they had been sending letters on a daily basis. However, Mouri could not care less either way as he had no intention of complying to thier wishes.

But, the arrogant lord had to give the pirate's louses some credit. They seemed to be playing it a lot smarter and cautious than they used to. For the time being, though, the two sides were playing it silent. Of course, Aki's ruthless leader had some plans to take Shikoku but all of that would come to pass after the groundwork had been put in place. And for now, he was playing psychological warfare with Chousokabe's men.

"Just a little more time," he whispered softly under his breath.

He took one last look at the grey sky before turning back to his room. As he took a step forward, the sound of battering wings came from behind him. He turned his head and found Chousokabe's bright yellow parrot sitting on the wooden railing cocking its head at him. The daimyo blinked a few times at a bit of a loss of what to do. He finally came to the conclusion that it would be best for him to not do anything and simply ignore the overgrown bird. However, the minute he set his foot onto the wooden floors of his room the bird let out a loud ear-piercing shriek. Mouri turned to the fowl again only to see it scratching at its foot and rustling its feathers. Irritation with the unwelcome animal was beginning to bubble up. But he noticed that the parrot had a note tied to each foot. Taking caution in approaching the unfamiliar animal he slowly reached for the note on the left. In reaction, the creature nipped at his finger. The lord gave the bird a slightly irked look and reached for the other. In response, it lifted its foot and allowed the warlord to take the parchment. His fingers tenderly unfolded the letter and began to scan over its contents.

"Now they ask for me to assist them and protect their boss?" he muttered under his breath. "Mindless fools. And using such vulgar methods to send me this garbage," he said while glancing at the parrot.

Without so much as a second thought, he took the note to his desk and held it over his lantern's flame till it twisted and turned to ash. He turned his head back to the balcony only to find the bird was still staring at him with its dark round eyes. Mouri let out a small sigh and closed the doors.

A few hours later, a servant came in with his dinner to which he was done only moments later. As he sat at his desk, scribbling down short poems, he heard a series of taps at the balcony door. After a few moments of silence the lord of Aki resumed his writing only to be interrupted once more by the small knocks. He tightened his gaze at the sliding doors before setting his brush down. He slowly rose from his desk and abruptly slammed the door open—at the lord's feet stood the bright yellow bird. Un-amused, Mouri kneeled down to the feathered creature.

"Why is it that you stay?" he asked the bird, "You have properly delivered your message."

The parrot cocked its head and let out a small squawk. Mouri peered down at the fairly large bird only to catch a glimpse at the other tied note. He let out a small sigh and crossed his legs to take a seat in front of the pirate's pet. It was almost as infuriating as its owner.

"I should kill you right here and bring your pathetic corpse to that fool Chousokabe," he said as he looked up at the semi-cloud covered moon.

It paused for a second before cocking its head once more. The exotic animal took a couple of steps towards Mouri and began to nibble and tug at his sleeve. The young lord looked down at the stubborn animal.

"What is it that you want?" he asked it. The bird only continued to pull at him as it flapped away. Seeing the struggling animal reminded him of the soldier from the demonstration earlier that day. It seemed both determined and ridiculously desperate. The young ruler pulled his sleeve away and adjusted himself into a seiza sitting pose. "Could it be that you wish to see your master?" he bluntly asked the bird, half-expecting it to talk.

The parrot ruffled its feathers before flapping its wings to hover up. As a reflex, Mouri brought his arm out and the creature landed on the perch. Already irritated as Mouri was, it seemed as if the overgrown pet would not leave him be. With a heavy breath, he gracefully stood up and the bird made its way up to his shoulder. Once Mouri closed the door to the balcony he left his chambers with a heavy sigh to make a much undesired trip.

* * *

><p>By the time Chousokabe woke up from his nap, a tray of food had already been left in his cell. He reached for one of the bowls and chugged down the soup with a slight cringe.<p>

"Yuck! As always, watery and cold," he let out as he wiped his mouth across his arm. "Not to mention the poor portion size. A sea rat eats better than this."

He popped two sardines in his mouth and almost choked on the over seasoned fish. "That one was a bit old, too," he winced with a wide grin, "But hell, food is food." As he started to down the rice he heard the main door open. The lord of Shikoku region quickly swallowed the rest of the rice and kicked back. "Hey, little soldier boy, mind givin' me some more? I have a big apatite ya' know," he loudly announced.

"Hmph. Unfortunately it is not as big as your mouth," replied the "soldier". Chousokabe's smile quickly vanished as he looked up to see Mouri standing before him. "But I guess the two compensate well for that empty inflated head of yours."

"Heh! I'll return the comment back to ya'," he replied as he stood up and walked over. "Hn?...AH!" His eyes widened at the sight of his bird to which it hopped off Mouri's shoulder, wedged its way through the bars, and flew onto its usual perch. "Hey! Hey! It's been a while!" Chousokabe laughed as his bird merrily squawked in response.

"The bird and the bird-brain are finally reunited," Mouri cut in, destroying the happy reunion. "Now hand over that note," he demanded as he shot a look at the bird's foot.

"Hah? What not-Oh, whatcha' got there?" he said as he grabbed the paper from his parrot.

"Hey…," Mouri glared, "I didn't say read it, you bastard."

"Shaddap, it's not for you," he replied as he walked to the back of his cell to read through it. His brow began to furrow at certain points.

The lord of Aki's stare remained unchanged as the pirate read the letter. He closely observed how the caged man's face became rather "dark" when he reached the end.

"Give it to me," the captor ordered.

Shikoku's lord regained his usual facade only let out a chuckle. "Like hell I will," he sneered, "it's got nothing to do with you."

"Don't screw with me," he snapped. "Relinquish i-"

Chousokabe then punched the wall behind him, creating a large crater in it. "I said it's none of your damn business," he hissed before clentching the note in his hands. He seemed to be having an internal struggle with the way he was locking his jaw and cursing under his breathe. "You're the absolute LAST person I'd want to beg from, but it seems as if I have no other choice seeing as I don't have the time to wait to recover and bust out of this hole," he angrily muttered.

Mouri blinked as his rival went to his knees. "Listen, I can easily break out of this cell as I am right now," he said pointing to the new cracks in the wall behind him, "but the problem lies with how I get back home." He clutched his knees in his hands. "Without my anchor and with you and your people everywhere, I'd just end up right back here," he stated, "if not dead." Chuugoku's lord remained silent and blinked. "Don't get me wrong, there's nothing more I'd like to do now but escape and kill ya'," he said scratching the back of his head, "but right now, those guys need me to stay here."

This threw Mouri a curve ball. In response, he narrowed his eyes, puzzled at the logic. From what his spies had reported, Shikoku was under a lot of pressure from the other surrounding factions. Without their leader, Chousokabe's men were good as dead against the other warlords.

"Heh, judging by that look on your face, you think I'm nuts," the pirate lord mused, "but I mean it when I say it. Look, ya' aren't the only one out there that has their eyes on my territory or my life."

"Hmph. Of course," Mouri replied, "The same sentiments goes for everyone that owns land in these warring times."

Chousokabe's eyes shifted away. "Yeah well, bottom line is," he breathed, "if I make it back to those guys right now, I might be putting them in more danger."

The strategic lord looked down upon the empathetic lord with complete lack of understanding.

Such a fool this man is. From what Mouri could put together, Shikoku was starting to attract some attention from Toyotomi's troops and some rumors about Chousokabe's war fortress, were hovering about in Kyuushu. All Mouri could assume was, Toyotomi was going to attack Shikoku the minute he got word of Chousokabe's escape/release. If he attacked now, there was a chance the Toyotomi army would come back empty handed since Shikoku's defenses were on high alert. As such, there was no exact estimate to how fast the news would travel but if Chousokabe were to return after news reached the lord of Osaka he would not only suffer multiple casualties but there was also the possibility of him losing his life and land. On top of all of that, if Lord Shimazu was the fighting hungry lord the rumors said he was then, he'd no doubt enter the battlefield at a later time to fight off the remaining soldiers—who would be assumed to be the strongest.

Yet all of this was meaningless thinking from Mouri's perspective. If he was in the position, he'd simply escape from the prison, grab a sword, rush back home and kill off any intruders no matter how many men of his had to die in the process. Yet, this fool before him was always thinking about the safety of his men, even going to the lengths of learning their names and about their lives. It was incomprehensible to the lord of Aki.

Why bother with such when there is a possibility that those men would die the next day? It was illogical.

Mouri closed his eyes to regain his thoughts. "So," he began as he opened his eyes, "what is it that you want to ask of me? If you want me to go help your precious subordinates, you might as well ask the stones in the wall. I see no merit in my assistance."

"I wasn't going to ask you that, ya' ass!" Chousokabe snapped.

"Then spit it out."

"I want you to keep a frickin' eye on me!" He yelled.

The torches on the wall flickered at the man's echo, as did Mouri's spirit. It was unexpected. Rather, it was…pointless. Mouri turned on his heel to walk away.

"HEY! WAIT A MINUTE!" the pirate raged. "I meant get me out of this frickin' cell and watch me yourself."

"So you've not only lost what little respect I had for you but you also lost what little mind you had," Mouri said over his shoulder. "This conversation is meaningless, there is no reason to why I should personally watc-"

A loud crash came from behind him as Chousokabe kicked down the iron door. "Listen to me! I don't mean watch me like some old woman. I mean take responsibility for having a captive as important as I am."

The guards at the front had heard the noise and began to rush down the stairwell. "You aren't making any sense," Mouri calmly stated.

"Lord Motonari!" yelled a guard as he rounded the corner and pointed his spear at the pirate. "Grab him!"

"Silence," Mouri cut in without breaking gaze with the man before him, "Keep your mouth shut and only move when I tell you to."

"B-But my lord…," the guard babbled.

Mouri gave an intense side glare at the guard to which the man took a step back and prepared to attack at a given order. With his attention back on Chousokabe the two seemed to be in a world all their own.

"Look," Chousokabe picked up, "if I stay here, there is no doubt in my simple mind that I would be tempted to break out of here and go rushing back to those guys. But, those guys need me as far away as possible till we have a proper plan. Or rather, they BEGGED for me to stay put."

He rubbed the back of his neck and stared up at the flame. "I have faith that those guys can handle themselves. I mean I got some pretty strong crew members out there that can pass as fine temporary leaders," he said as he peered into the fire with a look of nostalgia. "I just don't want to leave 'em alone. But they asked me to have faith in them so that's what I'll do."

"From the beginning I had no intentions of letting you leave here alive," Mouri emotionlessly mused. "I can kill you now and that would solve this issue. This is your problem not mine. Do not get me involved."

Of course, Mouri had every want and need to kill him. And he was interested in taking Shikoku and thus the Seto Sea. However, as things were right now, if he were to kill the pirate, there was the chance that his men in Shikoku would form an alliance with Toyotomi and Shimazu to destroy Chuugoku as revenge. As such, he had to keep the idiotic man alive. Indeed, Mouri's army was strong, but fighting on a divided war front was a not a good idea in this case.

"Heh. Are you so full of yourself that you don't see what that ape of a lord is planning?" he sneered. "He's going to wipe you out along with Shikoku. His forces and yours have been clashing for a while now haven't they, Mouri?"

"Of course I see what he's planning. The minute he takes control of Shikoku he'll attack Chuugoku," he answered, " I saw through his plan a week ago." Chousokabe clentched his jaw. "In fact, I might even consider taking Shikoku myself and have you watch as I do it."

Chousokabe's eyes began to glow with rage. "Why you...!" he cursed as he held himself from killing the heartless commander.

"But I do not possess such an unlikeable hobby," Mouri ended. He turned his head to the two men and spoke a quick order to them.

"Yes my lord!" the two replied and left.

The pirate lord stood in the dungeon confused. Mouri simply turned away. "You will be coming with me to Suo," the lord said. "I would kill you but doing so would result in less than desired results for me. The only reason you still have breath is because you are worth more alive than dead at the moment"

The sea lord revealed a cocky smirk. "So does that mea-"

"Do not think that I am acting as such, upon your request," he interrupted. "Knowing you, you would do something rash and stupid if I'm not around. Not to mention my incompetent men probably would be unable to stop you. Thus, you would pose as a major problem for me."

"HEH! Like hell I'd think you'd do this for me," he snickered. "But I'll just leave it at that."

"Hmph," the sun's child let out. "But if something changes in my favor and I see no further need to keep you alive, you may find yourself engulfed by the sun."

His eyes beamed with the sun's rays. But, Chousokabe found the man's gaze lonely to look at. Nothing was reflected back in them besides the unseen sun. And after looking into them, he had nothing left to say.

* * *

><p>As Mouri began to walk up the staircase, a large number of guards awaited above. He nodded to them and they rushed down to bring Chousokabe Motochika to a denser prison holding. It would only be for a night and then they would be off to Suo. The guard's tied Chousokabe up and began to take him to the much more suitable containment cell. As far as they knew, their lord ordered the pirate to be taken to the maximum holding cell since he tried to inflict harm on him (which explained the iron door on the floor). The pirate looked up at the sky as his parrot took off into the trees to find a place to sleep. As he walked away, he noticed the feather from earlier that day had latched itself to his clothing, but alas it fell off and returned to the wind. As the son of the sea walked, he thought of what had transpired down in the dungeon. And as he did, he was again reminded of how different he and Mouri were. He looked up at the moon and felt the nearby sea breeze. His clear blue eyes only drowning in more than one thought.<p>

* * *

><p>Lord Mouri was taking his time to make his way back to the main wing of the palace. He looked behind him to see the guard's bringing Chousokabe up in ropes. Seeing how things seemed to going at a decent pace, he felt it was time to retire for the night. For a moment he thought of the pirate's form on his knees in the dungeon. In essence he had seen a different side of him that he had never witnessed before. It was obvious that he and his men cared for each other but he did not know that he cared THAT much for them. The thought was incomprehensible to Mouri and for a split second he was a bit envious of such a bond. Perhaps that was why that man's eye is so clear. But alas, it was something he had no desire to understand. As the moon rose high he looked away from the line of men behind him and felt a feather in the wind pass in front of him.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter 2.<br>And short and sweet.  
>It's a slow read but it'll unfold.<br>Had some trouble writing this chapter,  
>but at least it came out alright.<br>Next is Suo, where things start to  
>get moving.<br>Thank you very much for the reviews~  
>Thank you to the faves and subs~!<br>Love you guys for it!  
>Please R&amp;R!<br>ChikaNari/the Seto Sea pair needs more  
>fans~<br>Thanks for reading and wait for next time!  
>-Lin<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright. I finally finished chapter 3.  
>And you all are probably cursing my guts out<br>for being so late.  
>Or even thinking I've been dead.<br>I don't blame you.  
>I apologize for the super delay.<br>School was taking up most of my time and I  
>also had a summer class I had to finish up so<br>I haven't been able to write as much as I would like.  
>Also I've been job hunting so time has not been free<br>on my end but I AM SO TERRIBLY SORRY FOR THE DELAY.  
>My extended apology is at the end of this chapter.<br>So I present chapter 3 and I hope you enjoy.  
>DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "SENGOKU BASARA" OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! CAPCOM DOES!<br>I DO, HOWEVER, OWN THIS FANFIC.  
>ENJOY.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Umi. Mangetsu no Kagami. <strong>_**~The Sea. The Full Moon's Mirror.~**_

_Pale porcelain skin basks in the moonlight_

_The ocean stills._

_Bewildered eyes gaze upon the celestial light_

_Arms reach towards an untouchable existence._

_The stillness of the night continues on_

_As I wait for you._

* * *

><p>The morning arrived in what felt like a moment. Mouri had managed to get some decent sleep but his eyes still felt a bit heavy. Was it the upcoming travel to Suo? The future whimpers of his dying soldiers? Or…was it because he'd be together with the man he dreaded so much? Regardless, he put his tired thoughts behind him and edged his horse in front of the small unit. As his mount moved forward, Mouri exchanged a heated glare with the rope-bound pirate lord. Neither exchanged a word as their eyes spoke everything that needed to be said. Mouri's cold yet bright eyes then turned toward the road ahead as Chousokabe let out a quiet curse.<p>

"My lord…," rang out a voice from behind.

Mouri's troops turned only to drop their heads. The lord turned to see his beloved wife standing beneath the gate with great poise and beauty. Her delicate smile was soft and her obsidian black hair fell over her shoulders making her appear to be a life sized doll. She gracefully stepped forward as her husband demounted his horse and made his way to her.

"I thought I told you that it was not necessary for you to see me off," Mouri said as stood before her.

Chousokabe peered over his shoulder as he watched the couple speak amongst themselves. But his interest reached its peak when he saw the warmth and love in his rival's expression. Was it possible for such a cold hearted man to have such kind eyes?

"It would be a disgrace to my lord if I do not see him off," she said gently putting her hand to her heart, "Besides prayer, this is all I can do for you."

A small smile came across the lord of Aki's face as he looked at his treasured wife. A look that was meant only for her to see and kindness that was reserved just for the woman he loved. His hand stroked her cheek as he gently brought his forehead to hers.

"I will be back soon. Till then be safe and pray to the great sun for the land of Aki," he whispered.

"Yes, my lord," she replied as she leaned her cheek deeper into his hand before he released her.

And just how the sun's light vanishes behind the clouds, Mouri's smile disappeared once he turned back around to face his troops. Once Chousokabe was moved into a wooden prison carriage, they began their journey. The stern warlord made his way back onto his mount and ordered his troops forward to their destination of Suo.

* * *

><p>As the stronghold of Mouri began to vanish into the horizon, Chousokabe could not help to watch his eternal rival's wife's figure shrink into the sunrise. How could such a tyrant be capable of such adoring gestures? The only part of Mouri he ever saw was the sneaky and heartless leader he had clashed swords with on multiple occasions. Of course, he was well aware that the man was married but he had thought, if anything, the marriage was nothing more than for show. The lord of Aki's cold brown eyes had a warm tender light to them when he gazed upon his wife and for some reason Shikoku's lord found himself conflicted by it.<p>

Chousokabe let out a frustrated sigh. "The hell am I thinking?" he cursed aloud. He, too, had a woman back at home but why was it that he felt a twinge of irritation when he saw Mouri with his spouse?

* * *

><p>As the Demon of the Western Sea was trying to figure out his inner melancholy, Mouri had long pushed his thoughts of the pirate to the back of his mind. His focus was on building up his troops and taking down a threat before anything happened. As the sun passed over their heads, the weary troops kept their heads held high in fear that their lord may snap at their display of tiredness. But even so, the non-stop travel was beginning to take its toll. Taking notice to this, Mouri halted the troops for a rest as, he too, needed to rest his horse and eyes.<p>

His attendants quickly set up a proper place for their lord to rest. They were still well in the lands of Aki so there was really no need to stay on complete alert; however, their lord was the fearsome Mouri Motonari, therefore they needed to remain sharp and orderly. As Mouri pecked at his lunch, he noticed at the corner of his eye that his soldiers were well rested and had decided mentally that they were ready to move out once he was through with his meal. However, one of his commanding officers entered his tent with a bow.

"Milord, I apologize for interrupting your meal," he said trying to cover his obvious nervousness. "However, it may be in our best interests if we rest for a da-"

"In whose best interest?" Mouri calmly questioned.

The man swallowed hard before answering, "Your lordship, I mean to say, it may be in your best interest if we rest for the remainder of the day. I sense a storm brewing and the soldiers are weary milord."

"I assure you, general, that I know very well of my wellbeing," he coldly replied, "and as for the men…" The lord gracefully rose up and shot the general with a piercing glare. "I can see that they are well rested. If we leave now, we will beat the storm. Now leave my sight and tell the men to prepare to leave at once."

The general gave a bow before running from his lord to inform the men.

Such foolish pawns. Asking for rest when they have done nothing to deserve it. If anyone required rest it was their lord. He closed his eyes and made his way towards his horse as he went over several schemes and strategies of the coming battles.

"Ya' know your men do need rest," came a voice from the containment unit. Mouri's eyes shifted to the wooden box on wheels. "I didn't overhear your conversation but I did hear your men's tired souls."

"I do not recall asking for your opinion," Mouri hissed, "Their bodies are strong enough. I care not for the souls that they carry. So long as they fight and move as I tell them, I have no problems pushing them."

"And that's why no one will ever serve you out of pure loyalty," the pirate uttered under his breath.

"If these tokens' loyalties are run by fear of me then so be it. I have no use for the sentiments of romantics" Mouri countered. "These are times of war, and such fools have no place here."

With the troops ready to move out again, Mouri mounted his horse and left the caged lord to his thoughts. Chousokabe only clenched his teeth and slammed his shackled hands against the iron bars that acted as windows. How could such a cold snake walk upon the earth? And how could that same snake be capable to love or even be loved? It was beyond him. In his rage and turmoil of emotions, the one eyed ogre of the seas fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The smell of the sea calmed his nerves and he dreamed of being back where he belonged. On his ship with his men. Visions of his wife flashed in mind and all seemed right until a faint shadow appeared in the corner of his eye. As he turned his attention to the small darkened figure everything else dissolved into white. He blinked a few times and realized it was a small boy. He was tiny and the robes he had on billowed in the void of dreams.<p>

A bit taken back Motochika stepped towards him and knelt down. "Hey there," he said with a welcoming voice, "what're ya' doing in a place like this?"

The boy slowly turned his head to him to reveal a very familiar set of brown eyes. Yet, they were eyes that had yet been tainted by the battlefield. The boy blinked and replied, "I do not know but," he paused, "who are you?"

There was no doubt in Chousokabe's mind that this was Mouri as a child. The child's speech manner was unchanged and his poise was brimming with nobility. However, the pirate could not help but pity the child. His eyes were cold but they still brimmed with innocence. With a smile, Motochika patted him on the head, "I'm someone you'll meet in the future." The young Mouri didn't flinch at the touch and he did not seem to mind to contact of Chousokabe's sea withered hand.

The child slowly brought up his hand to touch the pirate's much larger one. Motochika was at a loss of what to do as the child before him felt so delicate and fragile. Such a gap between how he was as an adult. The child gently brought the ogre of the western seas' hand to his cheek and closed his eyes. "You smell like the sea," he said, "but you are very warm like the sun."

Taken back by the child's words Motochika could say nothing. The young boy then opened his eyes and smiled at the pirate. "I hope to meet you soon," he said. And before the lord of Shikoku could reply, he was jolted awake by a sudden halt.

He blinked a few times as he looked out and saw the sun setting under the sea. "A dream….huh," he muttered to himself as he straightened himself out. The flash of the smiling child returned to mind. His thoughts were in silence and the only sounds he heard where those of Mouri's men running around. "I wonder if that guy can even smile like that anymo-" before he could finish his thought, the flash of Motonari's treatment of his wife popped in his head. He turned his head to the window and saw Mouri's base in Suo. "You look more like a human when you're smilin', ya' know that?"

* * *

><p>The base at Suo was much smaller than the main palace, but it was still beautiful. Forests surrounded the area and temple gardens were scattered throughout the property. Obviously Mouri had added his own personal touches to the place once he had seized the land, but it still retained its beauty. Even the isolated area that Chousokabe was moved to was surrounded by gardens. His new cell was a wooden prison with beaten tatami mats but at least it was not a cold damp dungeon. However, it did have some type of metal reinforcing the walls, making escape rather difficult.<p>

Once the men were properly situated, Mouri made his way to the war chambers to talk to his commanders on this front. Of course they reported on things he already knew to which Mouri cut them short and requested new information if they had any. The latter gave him a few minuscule details before Mouri briefly provided his battle plans. He did not go into details for confidential reasons and he did not feel as if they needed such information at the moment, considering he had not worked out all the kinks yet.

As soon as the meeting was adjourned, the steely lord settled into his chamber. A servant was waiting outside with a tray of food to which Mouri told him to leave it on the table and go. As he stepped inside the chamber, several servants removed his armor before leaving him to his peace. Once he was alone, Mouri went to bathe himself before changing into his light yukata and eat his meal. As he sipped his tea, he gazed out the open door to see the green landscape. Although he could not see the Seto Sea, the scent of salt tickled his senses. After his meal the same servant entered to replace the empty food tray with a small sake set. Within a matter of minutes, the boy was gone.

Pouring himself a cup, the lord looked over his strategies and plans. He worked diligently till his candle flicked at the lack of oil. When he looked up, the moon was high and illuminated the scenery. Taking it as a sign to stop his work, he gathered up his materials and smothered the dying flame. When he brought his hand back over to pick up his materials, he knocked over an empty bottle which rolled over to another four empty ones that were sitting next to his desk. Had he really drank that much? He had not even noticed it. He shook his head and set the bottles upright. He held his head and took a breath as he began to feel the alcohol take its toll. After locking up his war plans, he peered out at the nightscape and found himself tempted to take a nighttime stroll around the grounds. It had been a while since he had last visited Suo and he wished to see the temple gardens. Not to mention, he needed some fresh air to sober himself up.

He slipped into his wooden sandals and left his chambers. The servants and guards that were still awake lowered their heads as he passed by them. They knew better than to ask where he was going at such an hour. When Motonari arrived at his desired location, he carefully stepped onto the rock paths and looked around to enjoy the peaceful beauty. The only sounds he heard were those of the crickets, the wind in the trees, the soft splashes of the koi, and the distant sound of the sea. He admired the rock gardens and began to wish he had a cup of sake to go with the quiet loveliness.

His stroll continued as he made his way to the ponds. He stopped on the bridge and looked out at the stillness. Ripples of water echoed on the glassy surface as the fish from below flicked their tails and leaves from the trees above fell. Mouri took in a deep breath and closed his eyes as a warm sea breeze caressed over him.

* * *

><p>Several yards away, the same breeze blew in from the small window of Motochika's cage. The food here was much better so he found himself rather comfortable despite the confined space. But for whatever reason, the pirate stood up and stretched to look out of his small window. Of course, he had looked out that window several times since he had first been moved there but this was the first time he saw something that piqued his interest. Or rather, someone.<p>

Mouri's figure basked in the moonlight as the wind laced itself through his hair and robe. The wind gently rustled through the man's clothes and tickled over the lord's sculpted collar bone and chest. And for once, Chousokabe didn't see him as his lifelong rival but as a human. A very….beautiful one at that. There had always been a sense of a god-like arrogance that came from Mouri but this was the first time the Ogre of the Western Seas had ever felt as if he was looking at a god, or a man that had been touched by one. He did not know how long he had been staring at the porcelain like figure but he knew it was longer than he should have been. Shaking his head at the sudden realization that these forbidden thoughts were about THE Mouri Motonari, he slapped himself on the cheeks and felt compelled to call out to the moon basking lord.

"You know if keep basking like that you'll get burned by the moonbeams," he teased. "And here I thought ya' hated the moon," he yelled from his prison box.

The sudden outburst caused Mouri to jump a bit, which was understandable, considering he thought he was alone. He turned his head towards the holding cell and quickly looked away out of embarrassment and annoyance. How foolish of him to forget that, THAT idiot was being held as his prisoner. And for that buffoon to have seen him doing something so out of character, the sake had to be dulling his judgment and senses. "I never said I hated the moon," he replied under his breath.

"HAH? I can't hear you," the pirate loudly announced.

Mouri snapped his head back to him, "I SAID-tch…." He let out an exasperated sigh and began to make his way over to the isolation cell.

"Wait…what?"

Chousokabe had just wanted to mess with Mouri out of his boredom. But he had not expected Mouri to come over to him. If anything he was expecting him to just walk away. It was a given that there was something different about Aki's lord this night. As he came closer he noticed that Mouri's cheeks were slightly flushed.

_Is he…drunk?_

Mouri glared at the guards to tell them to go elsewhere before he sat down on the wooden floor that skirted around the isolated chamber. The silence between them was heavy but it was not strained. Lord Motonari looked up at the trees and let out a small sigh. "You say I hate the moon but I have no such feelings of malice for it," he said with his back to the window.

Motochika leaned against the bars. "You came all the way over here to tell me that?"

"I came over here to have a better view the garden. Do not flatter yourself," he replied with all the arrogance he could muster. Of course the haughty reply would have had more of an impact if his cheeks were not so rosy.

There was no doubt that the lord was a bit tipsy. "Yeah, yeah. My mistake," he said with an irritated tone. He had dealt with happy drunks but this guy was still as pompous drunk as he was sober.

The silence between them continued and Chousokabe eventually let his back slide against the wall. As the night went on, Mouri's mind began to drift away in the peace and quiet. His most inner and deepest thoughts began to bubble up till one came spilling out of his mouth. "I envy you pirate…," he muttered under his breath.

Although it was but a whisper, Motochika heard Mouri's comment which caused him to perk his head up. Shikoku's pirate lord wanted to say something but no words came out.

Mouri leaned his head against one of the wooden posts as his eyes focused on the garden. "You have such a free and careless nature. Of course, I could do without the noise of the buzzing insects that you call men, but I envy your freedom," he said as he drearily looked at the sleeping koi beneath the pond's surface.

Chousokabe didn't know what to say. Mouri? Jealous of him? Perhaps it was the sake talking but he felt as if there was some truth to the man's words. Since Mouri was slightly drunk he went along with this fragmented conversation, "I find that hard to believe since it's coming from you," he said with a small grin.

"…"

"Hn? What? No snide reply?" He asked as he stood up to peer out. And to his surprise Mouri was still sitting on the floor looking out at the scenery. Aki's lord turned to Chousokabe with the eyes that the latter had seen in his dream with the boy. They had the same shine and glimmer to them, but because Mouri was an adult now, those radiant brown eyes of dreary lonely innocence were alluring. However, those empty bedroom-like eyes were looking at Motochika out of envy, not out of love or lust. But that did not prevent the pirate lord's heart from skipping a beat.

Mouri, being out of sorts, looked away with flushed cheeks. He held his head with his right hand. "It appears my judgment and emotional indexes are clouded," he said as he got up, "I feel as if I'm saying things that need not to be mentioned." He gracefully stood up. What was he thinking? Coming out all this way and having a conversation with the biggest thorn in his side. Perhaps somewhere in the depths of his being, he wanted someone he could talk to without being seen as a fearsome warlord or god. But his pride and stone heart blamed all thoughts of WANTING to talk to this sea oaf on the alcohol. This man? His equal? Preposterous. The thought was laughable but some part of him found comfort in it.

"Hah? You're leaving just like that?" He objected, "But we were actually having a normal conver-," Motochika paused at the notice of his sudden disappointment that Motonari was leaving. And without another word of acknowledgement, Mouri walked away.

* * *

><p>Chousokabe watched as the other lord made his way back to his private quarters. This was the third time he had seen Mouri in clothes other than his usual armor. He had always known that the young lord of Aki was more lean muscle than brawn but, seeing the warlord from a far distance in nothing more than a light summer kimono, anyone could have easily mistaken the man's physical structure for that of a woman's. Being the "free spirited" pirate lord, Motochika Chousokabe had had his fair share of women and men. He had a lovely wife and child at home but even then he still had one night romances on the side and brothels he visited every now and then. He was a man after all—A man of the sea at that.<p>

He let out a hefty grunt as he flopped on his back and looked up at the moon through the wooden bars. The light cascaded over him as he brought a hand up to block the light. Images of the day poured themselves over him as he closed his eyes. He had seen reactions from Mouri today that he would've never thought he would see. Perhaps his original impression of Mouri being the cold-hearted inhuman warlord was a bit off. Then again, all he had ever seen of Aki's lord warlord was that of a demon-like commander on the field of battle. It could have been the lack of sleep and human interaction that was making him possess such thoughts but, part of him was curious to learn more about his sun worshipping rival.

* * *

><p>Mouri slid back into his quarters and closed the doors. The wind was starting to pick up so he locked the wooden doors and then slipped into his night robes. He was tired and there was no doubt that a storm would soon be knocking on his doors. So for now, he needed the sleep. But, for whatever reason, he remembered what he had told the pirate that night.<p>

"_I envy you."_

Motonari bit his lip and let his eyelids drop as that was a confession no one was meant to hear especially the Lord of Shikoku. Even if it was a slip of the tongue it was the honest truth and Mouri hated the fact that he was foolish enough to make such a mistake. He rolled on his side and let out a quiet curse. Chousokabe was a fool among fools. Perhaps he thought nothing of the comment. No. He most definitely thought nothing of it.

* * *

><p>And with false wishes and satisfaction, Mouri fell asleep. Little did he know that the moon saw everything, and it would not be long till she informed the ocean and sun of their sons' midnight talk. The two men's very beings were resonating within each other, begging for understanding. The sea curious to know what warmth was hidden in the clouded sun and the sun ever drawn to the turbulent sea below. With the moon acting as a bridge between their hearts, the mist of lies and deception slowly start to vanish as their true selves begin to be revealed to the other within the moonlit mirror.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>And that finally brings an end to chapter 3.<br>I did start this chapter right when I finished chapter 2  
>and I will say that on top of school and job searching,<br>this one gave me hell to write.  
>Emotional development is a challenge to write especially when<br>the two characters have so much canon hate for the other.  
>So I hope you guys liked it and I apologize if either went<br>too OOC.  
>Next time the two grow closer as the storm knocks at their<br>door and could it be? An M rating?**

**IMPORTANT UPDATE:**  
><strong>In regards to "War Games" and "The Other Side of the Story"<strong>  
><strong>if you have not noticed, I have removed them.<strong>  
><strong>The only reason I can give is I'm not enthusiastic about their<strong>  
><strong>series anymore and I felt that if I did continue writing them,<strong>  
><strong>my lack of enthusasim would negatively affect the stories.<strong>  
><strong>It was a tough desicion but it was one that had to be made.<strong>  
><strong>As of right now, I am going to continue this 5 chapter story and<strong>  
><strong>I am probably going to begin writing a BlazBlue fanfic concerning<strong>  
><strong>RagnaxJin (If you don't know what BlazBlue is please check it out,<strong>  
><strong>it's an amazing video game series that NEEDS to be animated).<strong>  
><strong>So that's enough for updates.<strong>  
><strong>I thank all my readers and supporters.<strong>  
><strong>I apologize wholeheartedly to my fans and readers of "War Games" and<strong>  
><strong>"The Other Side of the Story" for the sudden drop.<strong>  
><strong>I do still love you all for taking the time of reviewing them and enjoying them.<strong>  
><strong>I had a blast while I was writing them.<strong>  
><strong>Thank you all for your support and love for those two stories.<strong>  
><strong>They both recieved the most reviews and faves I have ever seen from any of my<strong>  
><strong>fanfics so thank you so so much.<strong>

**Thank you for reading this chapter of "Captive to Captivate" and**  
><strong>please drop a review in. I love reading them. You guys make it possible.<strong>  
><strong>I want to thank my fans, readers, and reviewers.<strong>  
><strong>You are all so sweet and awesome.<strong>  
><strong>Spread the Seto Sea love.<strong>  
><strong>And I'll see you guys soon. Hopefully.<strong>  
><strong>-Lin<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**HOLY-  
>This must be a record for me.<br>A 20 page chapter WITH a BL scene.  
>In a week.<br>DAMN. Just. Damn.  
>A head's up:<br>This chapter changes the rating from T to M.  
>Note, I try and avoid making my BL scenes super smutty.<br>I like focusing on the emotions as opposed to the hot  
>steamy sex, but to each thier own preferences.<br>This is a word heavy chapter so sit down, make yourself  
>a cup of tea and get comfortable because it's a LONG chapter.<br>Lots of character development.  
>I apologize for any OOC-ness.<br>Enjoy.  
>DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "SENGOKU BASARA" OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! CAPCOM DOES!<br>I DO, HOWEVER, OWN THIS FANFIC.**

* * *

><p><strong>Hotaru. Warera no Yuiitsu no Hikari. <strong>_**~Fireflies. Our Only Light.~**_

_There is no one in this dimly lit world but us._

_All I can hear is your breath._

_All I can feel is your touch._

_All I can see is your heart._

_The fireflies are our only source of light._

_I dare not move as I fear you will fade like a dream._

* * *

><p>"Hold your fire!"<p>

Like marionettes on a shared string, the soldiers dropped their weapons in synchrony. It had been a month since they began their clash with the forces to the west. And the Shimazu troops were proving to be pesky. They had fighting spirit but order was lacking. Mouri could very well understand why his troops were having issues dealing with the island-like folk but seeing them first hand brought a sense of disappointment to him. He could very well take Kyushu, seeing how he had seen through their tactics, but their leader was a very powerful and troublesome man. And Chuugoku's lord did not want to go through the hassle of extending his lands when the real issue was on the eastern front.

"Sir the enemy is retreating. Shall we go after them?" asked a general.

"No. Let them be," he replied, "it would be foolish to go after them."

"But my lord, they are weak! We can easily claim the land with 20 men!" objected the general, "Is that not what we are fighting for?"

The other generals in the war council averted their eyes from the man who questioned Mouri's order. Whether they saw him as a fool or as a brave soul meant nothing when they compared him to their Lord Mouri.

The daimyo of Chuugoku only narrowed his eyes at the man. Fool. Questioning me of all people. And the land? I care not for it. The sun is what holds my true ambitions. What number does this make it that this impudent being has questioned me? I have lost count. I see that it is time I relieve him of his duties. Having him around any longer would only prove to act as a liability.

He closed his eyes as he maintained his cold noble posture. "General. If you wish to pursue them on your own then you take one ship but do remove my banner from it," he answered, "and because you are so confident that this task will only take twenty men, only take yourself and nineteen others."

Blinded by the feeling of accomplishment, the general graciously bowed his head and gathered nineteen men that shared his convictions. The second the general left his gaze eyed the other generals. "Are there any others that wish to march to their early graves?" he asked, to which all uncomfortably looked away like whipped dogs. They knew that Mouri had just abandoned the man and wanted no connection to him and he would easily do the same with them if any spoke up. Mouri then turned away as he watched the lone ship vanish into the sunset in pursuit of the runaway enemy.

"The sun has no place for you here anymore general," he uttered under his breath, "Therefore, you have just sentenced yourself and nineteen others to their death today."

Mouri was well aware of the Shimazu's practice of fleeing the enemy only to trap them in an outnumbered situation. He had chosen not to pursue the enemy because of this. But a particular general had been pecking at his nerves, and questioning his orders. Aki's warlord had given said general a number of chances to learn from his mistakes but alas, an old dog cannot learn new tricks. If anything, Mouri was sick of such an incompetent pawn.

By nightfall, word had reached that a small squadron had been wiped out. Mouri did not show an ounce of care nor pity to the fallen soldiers. Instead, he had the general's position filled within a matter of minutes.

* * *

><p>Things were quiet in Suo and with the absence of its lord, and the men were less tense which allowing the pirate lord to warm up to a few of the guards. Thanks to that, he was able to get a few more rations of food and even some hot water and some soap for bathing. A loud squawk echoed through the Suo complex. Chousokabe, still under lock down, shushed his bird as it delivered him a note from his men.<p>

"Two days from tonight, huh…," he muttered.

So they finally had enough man power to hold off Toyotomi. It took a while but things were looking up. Not to mention since Mouri had diminished the Shimazu forces down to size in the past month, Chousokabe's men had nothing to fear from the western front. Chousokabe stroked the bird through the bars and let it fly off as the guards approached.

It had been half a month since he had last seen Mouri. The last time he had spoken with the arrogant bastard, Mouri had temporarily returned from the battlefield and acted as if that one moonlit night never happened. In fact, Mouri came by to check on him and said, "Oh you are still alive. How disappointing."

Chousokabe kicked the wall at the memory of it. "THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN YA' SCALLYWAG?" he yelled in frustration.

"SILENCE IN THERE!" came the voice of a guard.

"Tch…my bad."

Of course it was a given that Mouri would not have a sudden change of heart after one drunken night but Motochika was driving himself up a wall fighting the boredom and symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome. Because there was nothing for him to do, he had no other choice but to think of Mouri. And when he was not thinking of Mouri he was thinking of his men and loved ones back at home. But the thought of the Chuugoku warlord still hovered in his conscious being. It wasn't like he was in love with the guy but, he just couldn't get the damn son-of-a-bitch out of his head.

"AGH. I'M LOSING IT IN HERE!" he let out as he loudly fell on his back. After a few minutes of raging and exhausting himself out, he took in a deep breath and eyed the moon. He let out a chuckle, "What're you lookin' at?" he asked, "Don't you worry, I'll be back at sea soon, just you wait."

* * *

><p>Mouri would not return from the field of battle till the second morning. The Shimazu had agreed to a temporary cease-fire thus ending the month long tussle. But negotiations still needed to be finalized. When they were completed, the night was young and the overworked warlord was in need of rest. Once the troops had returned to camp he retired to his tent.<p>

From outside he heard the stir of his men as they quietly drank their sake and talked over whatever it was that pawns discuss after a battle. With his armor removed, Mouri opened up a letter addressed from his wife from back home. He read the contents of the beautifully written message and once he was done he set it aside. With grace and delicate hands, he took out a small calligraphy set and pulled out a parchment of paper. He set his ink down and dipped his brush into the onyx liquid. His chestnut eyes glanced at the paper as his hand moved to carefully remove the excess drops of black. And with the same care and elegance, he began to write.

The message he was writing did not contain complex military terms and details to it but he informed her of how the situation had been dealt with and he would be returning home soon. Mouri was pleased to hear that their son's studies were going well and that he expected him to grow into a fine young man. The letter went on to ask of how she was doing and how she should continue to send her prayers. He wasn't too concerned of her safety considering he gave the guards credit that were competent enough to protect his home and family. Not to mention the biggest threat was currently in a caged box with him in Suo.

The western seas' warlord's image flared up in this thoughts. The image of the man's silver hair that reflected the moon's rays, beamed at him in the dreary nightscape. His almost inhuman physique, that was comparable to the perfectly chiseled rocks that jetted out of the ocean; such a being was entitled to possess the identity of a sea demon. Yet, in spite of his brute exterior his heart was soft and mellow. Demon? More like an imprudent human parading around as a demon. But if there was one thing that made that man inhuman, it was that damn gaze of his. Despite his lax and free nature, he was much more in tune to the people around him. That single blue eye that he had locked stares with on multiple occasions, peered at him as if it could see right through him at times. However, it was the one thing that he could never look away from when he was trapped in its line of sight. But even more tantalizing than the visible eye, was the hidden one to the left.

Mouri's hand flinched when he realized his mind had digressed to Chousokabe. He lifted his brush and stared at the paper with a look of bewilderment. The very thought of the man made a chill travel down his spine.

Why was he thinking of HIM of all people? He was puzzled at his thought pattern. In the past month he had only seen Chousokabe once. And it was only for a split second. But in that split second something caused his chest to tighten. Since then, Mouri had been avoiding the thought of his forlorn rival. Ever since that moonlit night his thoughts of the pirate had shifted a bit. No. They had been changing since that man washed up on his shores. Since then, he had begun to find the man entrancing.

He had always found Chousokabe to be a very interesting person. Given, Chousokabe was an irritating brash illogical ridiculously foolish, foolish pain in the ass; but, he was a terribly interesting man. Only a fraction of a small handful of men had left an impression on Mouri. And Chousokabe Motochika had left a, if not the, largest impression on him.

Mouri closed his eyes to clear some of his thoughts before he looked over what he had written. When he found it to his liking, he called for servant to have it delivered at once. And once he was left alone again, the image of the ogre of the western seas continued to consume the sun child's every thought and inner being.

* * *

><p>Several miles away, said demon was putting back on his clothes after washing himself off. He had worked up quite a sweat during the day considering how hot it was and it didn't help that he was working out his body to keep himself in shape. As he slipped on his coat he overhead some of the guards talking.<p>

"Did you hear? Lord Mouri will be returning to us by late morning," said one.

"So we won?"

"I guess. Or more so, we just managed to push them back."

"As expected of Lord Mouri," he replied, "I heard that he diminished their army by a huge fraction."

"Yeah. You know, if he had his sights on conquering the entire country, he could very well do it."

Chousokabe let out a loud sneeze causing the two guards to spin on their heels. "Oh. Sorry about that," the caged pirate lord said, "Please continue," he mused with a grin.

The two quickly scampered off elsewhere leaving him in silence. "Geez, pretty skittish guards on tonight's watch," he said with a yawn.

He adjusted his belts before he flopped on his side, as he used his arm as a perch. His back was turned from the moonbeams as they cast the cage like shadows around his own. He closed his eyes as he listened to the crickets chirping outside. The day was usually buzzing with the shouts of men and the clashing of training weapons. There was some peace to be found in the night. But such peace was an illusion as his mind was in growing chaos. His men had some sort of plan to get him out of this place, but they didn't leave any sort of plan of action in the note they had said. The note simply read, "Be ready in two nights".

He had no idea what they were planning but he trusted them.

"_You truly are a fool."_

Chousokabe looked up and saw Mouri standing before him in the shrine robes he had on, during his first visit to him.

What? Mouri wasn't back yet. Or did he return early? No that wasn't possible…was it? No. This was a dream. An illusion.

"_You really believe that those pawns of yours can get you out of here?"_

"I have to believe in something, don't I?" He said thinking he was half-crazy to be talking to an invisible entity. "Why am I even talking to you. You aren't even here."

"_Naturally, you are suffering from a mild case of dementia,"_ the ghostly Mouri replied, _"of course it'll go away if you DO manage to get out of here." _

"Oh how kind of ya' to share your diagnosis," the pirate answered with a large dose of sarcasm.

"_Hmph."_

Motochika refused to let himself reply another time to this shadow in his mind. He knew his mind was playing tricks on him and he was in no mood for it. But, his mental state was begging for interaction with someone. But of all people, why him?

"_Because you are harboring strong feelings for me that you aren't addressing."_

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD," he snapped at the imaginary man.

"_I would but your inner conscious isn't allowing it idiot,"_ he replied in the usual arrogant voice.

"So what d'ya want from me?"

"_Have you grown stupider since the last we met?"_ the faux Mouri hissed, _"I don't want anything from you. You want something from me. If you didn't, I wouldn't be here. Pay attention to what I am saying you half-wit."_

Even in imaginary form this guy knew how to grind his nerves.

The somewhat delusional pirate lord sat up and rubbed his eyes together with his thumb and forefinger. "Alright. I'll go along with this," he sighed, "So what is it that I want from...you?"

"_I do not possess the answer to that question." _

"TCH. You piss me off."

The figure looked away from him as it took a seat in front of the baffled pirate. Chousokabe scratched the back of his head in thought. He knew he had been thinking of Mouri more often than he should have been. It was neither love nor hate that was pushing the thoughts of him around in his mind. But if those emotions weren't the reason, then what was it that was driving him to reflect on the man so much?

Shikoku's warlord glanced at the ghost like figure as it gazed about the moonlit room. Even if it was a fake, something about the figure intrigued him. Like the real one, he was thin and possessed that same uncomfortably perfect posture. He had the same dark brown hair and pale skin that radiated in the white moonlight. And yet, despite his cold arrogance that would drive any man mad…

The figure's gaze slowly turned towards the pirate.

…there was a warm light that came from him. Those eyes filled to the brink with intelligence and nobility simply looked at Chousokabe with a blank yet alluring stare. Mouri Motonari was a sneaky cold-hearted arrogant and detestable man. But, through his sun worshipping narcissistic arrogance, he was a striking human being. Like how humans are tempted and mesmerized by the beauty and radiance of gods, Chousokabe could not help but to be drawn to the cursed man.

So that's it.

He chuckled to himself finding it rather hard to believe that he had been ensnared by his own sworn enemy. Not by love or hate, but by Mouri, himself. As he looked up towards the figure, it was already gone and in its place was the child version of Mouri. The boy gave a lonely smile to the pirate before vanishing in a blink of an eye.

"Captain!"

Chousokabe blinked at the empty space as he looked up to see one of his crewmen standing on the other side of the door. A bit confused, the sea deprived pirate looked around his chamber and saw that it was already early dawn.

I swore it was night just a minute ago. Was it another dream?

"Captain, I'm so happy to know that you're alright!" said the scruffy sailor as he sniffled from tears of joy. "It's a miracle!"

Motochika processed that this was real. He shook off the haziness he was feeling and let out a laugh. "Of course I'm alright," he said with a grin, "Who d'ya think I am?" The somewhat revived warlord stepped over to the door. "How'd you get in here?" he asked as he looked the man down. He was wearing the armor of the Mouri.

The sniveling man wiped his eyes across his arm and regained some of his composure. "I managed to sneak in here," he whispered, "We've been tracking your whereabouts and were waitin' for the perfect time to get you out of here. When we got word that Mouri had subdued the Shimazu and was away from the base, we knew now was the perfect time to retrieve you, sir!"

These guys. Even though they weren't the smartest fish in the sea they had heart and passion. Chousokabe flashed his teeth in a hefty smile. "Aye. Sounds like you guys've been havin' a rough time since I've been away," he said, "I'm sorry I had to put ya' guys out like this."

The man shook his head, "What're you sayin' captain? We'd do anything for you!"

And with those words Chousokabe felt a mix of joy and relief. He wouldn't trade his men for anyone else in the world. They were the best.

Feeling like a demon that had just awoken from a long slumber, Chousokabe stood strong and ready. "Alright then," he began, "what's the plan?"

* * *

><p>Mouri returned to the Suo stronghold a little before high noon to which he was greeted with praise and congratulations by his people. He simply nodded and dismounted his horse as he moved to the inner war chamber to discuss what other battles had been going on. Most of the reports were dull and did not concern the Mouri but his interest piqued when one officer reported that Toyotomi had begun to turn his attention to Shikoku and that Shikoku's forces were beginning to rouse up.<p>

Like he had predicted earlier. It was only a matter of time before the fearsome lord built enough strength to take down the puffed out army of Chousokabe. Obviously that gargantuan had been monitoring the Seto Sea's movements and therefore must have noticed that Chousokabe had not been seen on the battlefield as of recent. Also, they must have realized that Mouri had not been attacking Shikoku. Mouri had taken those thoughts into account but if that was the case, then why wait? An army that has no commander surely does not pose as a threat. And if no one else was going for said territory, why would you not take the chance to claim it? He had also found two possible answers to those questions.

One. An army with no leader is a dangerous one considering if they still act as one. And seeing how Chousokabe's people had remained united for well over a month without their leader, it'd be like trying to capture a crazed and rabid dog.

Two. He was letting them squirm out of enjoyment. Savoring the taste of how easy it would be to topple over such pathetic defenses. Considering how Toyotomi's strategist was Takenaka Hanbei, it would not be a surprise if he had informed his lord to focus on stabilizing the eastern front before taking on the western front. When everything on the Eastern front was under control, he would take Shikoku and then turn an all front attack on Chuugoku.

Of course there were other factors he had to put into consideration such as the possibility of a surprise attack on both Shikoku and Chuugoku. But doing so could result in more casualties for the Toyotomi forces. Unless, their army was THAT much stronger than both the Chousokabe and Mouri. The thought made Mouri's blood boil. He had been outsmarted by Hanbei before and it made him sick to his stomach for his flawless cunning to have been outwitted by some pawn.

Mouri had not attacked Shikoku primarily because there were bigger threats about like the Shimazu and the restless eastern front. Not to mention if he did claim the land and fortress, there was a possibility that Motochika's people would rebel and join with the Toyotomi and Shimazu forces out of pure vengeance. Given, Mouri didn't think of Chousokabe's forces as a threat; but, if he did take Shikoku and annihilate the people, there was no doubt that the fearsome sea demon would stop at nothing to kill him. And that would be troublesome considering a man full of rage and vengeance hardly posed as a threat but, rather, a nuisance. And despite Mouri's utter lack of sentiments on the battlefield, his inner swordsmen wanted to savor an honorable duel with is life rival. Like Mouri had stated to Chousokabe before, "he was worth more to him alive than dead, at the moment."

"My lord Motonari, how do we proceed?" asked a general.

"We proceed with caution and grace," he replied after laying his thoughts out. He knew exactly how things were going to play out and he'd be damned if Hanbei were to outsmart him again. "We rely on unpredictability."

The board was in confusion as whispers rose and the generals looked to one another in shock. "Unpredictability?"

"Yes," he said without skipping a beat, "Toyotomi's strategist thinks very much like me. Therefore, he would consider me using orderly tactics and such as I have done so in the past."

"So what do you propose our plan of attack is my lord?" spoke up another general, "Certainly you do not mean for us to attack blindly."

"Of course not," Mouri answered, "Sending in you people without orders is like letting children run around a festival with no supervision." Such tactics were not Mouri's style so it would be a gamble. He was uneasy about it but he'd have to test his luck and leave it to fate that things would work out. He looked up to his generals and began to divulge into his risky scheme.

* * *

><p>Suo was more active that night than usual. The complex itself was dead silent save a few guards shuffling about, but the nearby towns were celebrating a rather successful battle with the soldiers. Chousokabe sat in waiting for the signal to break out of his cell. As he waited, he looked at the small key to his cell block that his crewman had given him earlier that day. Said sailor also gave him the information of the whereabouts of his anchor. The location was going to be a pain to reach but hopefully he wouldn't have to go through too much trouble to get there. Timing wise, he knew he just needed to be on the water before the sun kissed the lands below.<p>

The pirate lord let out a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself for this un-doubtfully long night. As he took one last breath a loud firework rang out in over the celebrations. That was the signal.

He quickly got to his feet and checked for any guards outside his cell before he slipped his hand out of the bars to unlock the door. As he turned a corner, two guards noticed him but he quickly knocked the two out before they could so much as yell. After he placed the two unconscious men into his empty cell, and locked the door, he weaved and ducked his way behind rocks, trees, and bushes. He was thankful there were so many hiding places. And his crewman had said the security was light due to the celebrations going on in the towns. But even then, he felt that security was almost too light. Before suspicion could hinder his ambition, he took hold of his determination and made a break for his anchor's location.

* * *

><p>After a long meeting with his generals, Aki's lord retired to his chambers. His footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor as he made his way to his ring blade that sat neatly up on the wall. His fingers traced the surface of the smooth blade sending the lovely sound of resonating metal across the room. However, the peace was broken the minute the door to the balcony was shoved open. Half a millisecond before the doors opened Mouri grabbed a hilt of the ring and turned it to the intruder.<p>

"So you finally broke out of that cage," he calmly uttered as his blade stopped at the man's throat, "I should end your miserable life right here."

Chousokabe had stopped just before the cold blade made contact with his neck. With his eyes on the blade, he smirked, "Then why not do it?" A drop of sweat traveled down his cheek as he looked into his sworn eternal rival's eyes, "I'm defenseless."

Mouri's eyes narrowed. "Indeed you are," he said. His eyelids lowered as did his blade.

That eye….that cursed blue eye. When did it become such a whirlpool for his emotions and judgment? Why was he hesitating?

If this situation had occurred two months ago, Chousokabe would have snapped Mouri's neck the second he lowered his blade. But something had changed between them. But what was more surprising was that Mouri had also not struck him down yet. Was he also experiencing the same melancholic feelings that he had?

Mouri stepped back as his blade broke into two and reformed into the familiar ring around himself. He didn't want this troublesome man here. He should just kill him. But why wasn't his hand moving?

"What do you want?" Mouri said as his eyes darkened. "There isn't anything here for you."

"My anchor," he calmly answered without breaking his gaze.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind. Mouri was avoiding eye contact with him.

"Oh so you wish to be reunited with that cursed weapon huh?" he coolly said as he stepped backwards over to a darkened corner of the room. "Like a dog to his bone, I presume."

"Shut up and hand it ov-"

With a loud skid, the anchor went flying towards Chousokabe's feet. "Then take it and be gone," Mouri said as he stepped into the center of the room.

Chousokabe looked at the anchor and back up to Mouri. He was acting odd—more skittish than anything. The smartest thing to do in this situation would have been to simply grab the anchor and rush back home. But something about this Mouri was preventing him from doing so. It irritated him that the great lord Mouri Motonari was acting like a scared child.

"Hn~? Fine. Have it your way then," he replied. It was pointless to share any further words with him—they wouldn't reach him. Instead, he'd let their weapons do the talking, like they had always done.

A split second after he grabbed the anchor, he spun the long range weapon towards Mouri. Despite how Mouri wasn't acting himself, his reaction was almost flawless as he deflected the blow with his blade. Brown eyes glimmered in the dim light as he stepped back as his blade spun to strike his assailant. Seeing how Mouri had CHOSEN to go on the defensive, Chousokabe upped his strikes and pushed the man back.

Come on Mouri, what's wrong? Just say it!

Mouri's glare narrowed as he clenched his teeth out of frustration.

If you wish to be blotted out by the sun then so be it!

Within a blink of an eye Mouri divided his blade into two and reformed it as it swiftly lashed out at Chousokabe. If it had been anyone else, the blow would have sliced the person in two. But his opponent had been one he'd been fighting for years; and, thus, they were acute to each other's fighting styles.

Time felt it was moving in slow motion after the ring blade lashed at Chousokabe's torso. Quickly reacting, Mouri gracefully, rolled his wrist upward to cause the blade to slice at an upward angle. Motochika had reacted with the blade. By stepping back and then bending backward the blade missed him by millimeters. Mouri twirled the lethal circle up over around his arm and began to bring it down around his waist. If Chousokabe had any chance of getting through to Aki's lord, it would be now. Chousokabe recovered from the back bend by sliding his foot back into a crouch. Without wasting a millisecond he tightened his grip on his hybrid anchor and rushed towards Mouri from below. Motonari couldn't step back as doing so risked him being cut by his own blade allowing Chousokabe to weave his way under the ring blade. The chain of the anchor had lashed upward causing Mouri's helmet to go flying off into the far corner of the room. In reaction to the sea demon's brash move, Mouri put up his right arm in defense as the left grabbed one of the hilts to his ring and pulled it back and down so the blade would slice the pirate in the back of the neck. Even though he had a neck guard and it was the back of the blade, it would certainly do some damage at the speed it was spinning at. But Chousokabe rapidly put the anchor between himself and the spinning blade causing a few sparks to fly and the circle to stop spinning. The force of their fight blew out the candle.

The two stood locked within the ring staring at each other in the dark. They were so close that they could feel and hear the other's shortened breath and rapid heartbeat. Mouri was at a loss of what to do. He had never been so close to the pirate before. Chousokabe stood staring at the bewildered lord before him. Now that they were this close to one another, he could see every detail in Mouri's face, eyes, and heart. Their breaths only inches away from each other and their eyes gleamed with the other's reflection. Motonari's eyes gazed up into the one visible sapphire eye and began to lose his self.

Without breaking their eye contact, Motochika brought his free right arm around Mouri and grabbed hold of the hand that was holding the blade. Mouri's grip loosened and the ring fell to the wooden floor that echoed in their silence. Chousokabe then dropped his anchor as their emotions and words had properly been conveyed.

Their intense stare down was broken as the moonlight trickled in through the open balcony door. Chousokabe stepped back from him as the man lowered his arm and stepped away. The two had reached an understanding—they were smitten by each other. Love was out of the question. The word "lust" didn't do their emotions justice. If there was a word to summarize their connection to one another it would be, "captivated".

Mouri looked away from the pirate. "You have what you came for," he said with a near whisper, "Why do you insist on staying?"

The pirate sat on the wood floor and scratched his head, "I've been wonderin' that myself but," he started, as his eye traveled up the length of Mouri's body. "I think I got an idea of why," he quietly said.

The armor clad lord of Chuugoku looked back down at the seated pirate. Chousokabe Motochika—A man who was anything but his cup of tea. However, a very interesting cup of tea. And with that, Mouri knew the reason to why the pirate remained.

Motonari let out a short breath as he turned and slowly stepped towards the Demon of the Western Seas. "You didn't solely come here for your weapon. You came here for another reason," he said as his footsteps resonated in the room, "and that reason is the same reason why you won't leave."

Shikoku's lord didn't flinch. "And I'm positive my reason for stayin' is similar to the reason why you won't force me out," he said.

The armor resonated in the hall as Mouri began to loosen his arm guards. "I imagine so," he said, "but listen to me well Chousokabe…" His guards fell to the floor as he removed the ties. "You should be honored," he said as he stepped directly before the one-eyed pirate. Mouri's gloves and ornaments crumpled onto the wood. "I am not a man that reveals anything to just anyone."

As if in a trance, the sea child removed his gloved hands and gently wrapped them around Motonari's lean waist and slowly began to bring the sun child down to his level. "Funny," Motochika smirked, "Neither am I."

The haunting smell of the sea began to melt with the warm scent of the sun. Mouri allowed himself to be lowered as he slowly slipped his arms around Chousokabe's neck. The pirate's motions were slow and careful as his hands wrapped themselves around Motonari's slender body and buried his face in the crook of the man's neck. In reaction, Mouri could do nothing but lose himself to the intoxicating scent of sun-kissed ocean as he lowered his head to cradle Motochika's.

The soothing warmth that Mouri was emitting was enchanting. The more Chousokabe touched, the more he tasted, the more he felt; the more he wanted to possess it. As his rugged hands he took hold of the Motonari's waist, he pulled him back to look into his eyes. They were glimmering in the moonlight, like two magnificent suns, and the look that he was giving him was soft and welcoming like the morning sunrise. Yet, he was still filled with all the dignity and pride that he possessed as a lord. The demon of the western seas had to admit, in this moment, Mouri's elegance and beauty was mesmerizing.

Mouri was a man of logic and thought. But as he looked down at the man that he had so long hated cradled against his chest, his reason and judgment slowly began to wash away like a grain of sand on the shoreline. As his eyes remained on Chousokabe's pure blue gaze, he felt himself drawing closer to the man.

Why was he lowering his head towards him? A heavy thump rang out in his ears as if answering him. The steady heartbeat pulsated louder and echoed throughout his body. His chest felt heavy and he began to wonder whose heartbeat it was. He began to waver. Perhaps this wasn't a good idea.

But as Mouri hesitated, Chousokabe took the initiative and bridged the gap between them. And with that all sense and reason was taken under by the vast current. Motonari was drowning, but he didn't mind it anymore. Their kiss grew deeper the longer as time passed. Before long Chousokabe found it appropriate to slide his hand under Mouri's shirt and to slip his tongue into the kiss to which Mouri stiffened in response, but after a few seconds he returned the favor. In his head, Motochika was enjoying seeing Mouri's reactions. He didn't have a doubt in mind that this was the great Lord Motonari's first time doing it with a guy and because of that, the pirate felt a twinge of superiority over Aki's lord.

I guess that means I gotta' lead 'im through it. To think I'm actually doing this with this guy…But I can't stop myself. The longer I hold him the more I want him.

When he found a chance to break the kiss, Mouri blinked at the smiling pirate. "What are you so pleased about?" Mouri asked un-amused.

"Heh, nothing. Just surprised that you're a decent kisser," he said with a sneer.

The closest Mouri got to a come-back towards the statement was his eyes narrowing. As he opened his mouth to word a rebuttal, his breath was taken by the pirate.

Emotions, lust, passion, etc. poured themselves out as Mouri felt the strong hands caress his torso and waist. But the current of emotions was also causing his body to react on its own as he felt his hands slide Chousokabe's lavender coat off his shoulders and remove the metal neck guard. When the two broke the extended kiss for air Mouri swayed from the dizziness as Chousokabe gently steadied him. His solid form was stable and Morui held fast to the broad shoulders as he slumped over one.

Mouri's shortened and heated breath nipped at Chousokabe's ear further turning on the pirate. Chousokabe was struggling to prevent himself from simply ripping the clothes off of Mouri's back and having his way with him like a crazed tsunami. But seeing how his partner, for this fateful night, was THE Mouri Motonari, he was holding himself back. If anything, he had to be cautious as he didn't know what the young lord would approve of or not. The sun was a temperamental being after all. Regardless, he was taking it slow for his own wellbeing.

Hands continued to explore the slim body frame till they managed to slip the shirt off of him. The breeze of the sea flew in from the open night and tickled at Mouri's half naked body causing him to shudder from the sudden touch of cool air. The sun lord's body, however, still felt warm and the heat of the moment was still on the rise. The breeze felt great as Chousokabe let the nostalgic sea air blow on his chiseled bare back but he felt Motonari shudder. The sea was used to the wind and breeze. But the sun was not. It required heat.

Without even thinking, the pirate began to kiss and suckle at Mouri's neck with a tad bit more force and passion. Mouri's eyes opened as he suppressed a panted breath and the coolness of the breeze was rendered useless to the pirate lord's heated gestures. The sea demon's lips lightly pecked at Motonari's porcelain skin till he decided to take a bite of the sun child's neck. Mouri bit back a whimper but the motion was proven weak when he felt a hand slide down his torso into his pants. Not long after did he feel a sudden rush of pleasure, which caused a suggestive moan to escape from him that he quickly tried cover up to no avail.

Motochika, flinched at the unexpected stimulating noise and he stopped to look up at Motonari's reddening face. Mouri had never made such a noise in his life before. Embarrassed, Mouri refused to look at Chousokabe in the eye as he let out a stream of small breaths. His pride wouldn't allow it. However, the sea demon lord couldn't care less of the man's "pride". The only thought that he had was how adorable Motonari was acting.

"W-What?" Mouri's voice cracked out of his humiliation as he felt the pirate's intense stare.

"It's nothing," the maritime warlord mused as his hand stopped moving, "just enjoyin' the show."

Self-conscious, Motonari pushed Chousokabe back a bit as he turned his head. "Would you refrain from staring at me like that? It's unsettling."

He blinked as he looked at the blushing Mouri. "What? Embarrassed that I made you moan of pleasure?"

Mouri flared. "That's not the issue!" he snapped as his cheeks darkened. "Bastard," he muttered, "What do you think you're doing, touching 'that'?"

"What are you going on about? It felt good didn't it?" the pirate questioned.

"Are you just a boat of raging hormones?" Mouri retorted. "Do you not think that this is rash and nonsensical?"

"Well yeah it's rash but ya' can't stop wave in motion, right?" he replied as he slipped his hand out to scratch the back of his head, "and I don't see you fussin' too much. In fact…," he shifted Mouri into a bridal hold with ease, forcing Mouri to look at him. "Ya' look like you're enjoying yourself," he said as he smiled at the confused and blushing Motonari.

Mouri blinked as his eyes, once again, locked with Chousokabe's. The man's eye was so pure up close that he could see his own reflection in it. And once he saw the mirrored image of himself, he knew he was at the pirate's mercy. He let out a sigh of defeat as he let his hands drop. "You may do as you wish sea demon," Mouri said as he turned his attention towards the bedding area. Motochika's eyes followed Mouri's attention. "But only for tonight," Motonari added as he eyes shifted back to the one-eyed sea ogre.

Chousokabe looked back down at Mouri and flashed him a smile, "Aye aye."

The sea child carefully rose to his feet with the child of the sun in his arms as he crossed the space towards the resting area. He sat the young lord down onto the opened bedding that rested on a raised wooden platform with tatami on top. Mouri was compliant as Chousokabe removed his leg armor and steel boots.

"How odd of you to be so well-mannered, Chousokabe," he said as Motochika slipped the right boot off of his thin foot.

"What? You're free to take them off on your own," he said looking up at him, "And you're being awfully submissive."

"I shall pass, considering you're already half-way done," Mouri said with his usual condescending tone, "And I'm only tolerating you because I don't mind the smell of the sun and sea."

Chousokabe gave an irked smile, "How un-cute can you be?" he asked as the left foot slid out. Mouri ignored the rhetorical question.

The Lord of Aki's hazel eyes watched as Shikoku's lord began to remove his own armor. Mouri took this moment of silence before the storm to collect his thoughts. The only sounds that filled the space were the untying and removal of armor and the crickets chirping outside. As he looked away from the bed scene, his stare moved to the outside scenery. When Chousokabe was done, he climbed up onto the bedding and brought an arm across the serene lord.

Mouri looked at Motochika and back at the scene as he pointed to the tiny lights that flickered and danced in the darkness.

"What?" Chousokabe asked as turned to look.

"Fireflies," Mouri whispered as he watched the little light insects bob around. It had been a while since he had last seen them…or rather, noticed them. Motonari smiled to himself as he watched the tiny beings dance to and fro.

Motochika watched them for a bit, but his attention traveled back to Mouri as he saw the brunette's soft smile. He really was like a whole other person when he was smiling so kindly. It was one of the many reasons to why the pirate was so drawn to him. That smile was like a rare treasure that few would ever be able to see, let alone possess, and he wanted it.

With his emotions and desire guiding his hand, Chousokabe's fingers tenderly brushed Mouri's cheek and delicately moved down to turn his chin towards him. The sun child's eyelids fell as the pirate took his lips. It was like a gentle current and he didn't resist as the two sank onto the futon. Motonari's arms slipped around Motochika's neck. The sun had sunk deeply into the sea.

Mouri's slender figure locked perfectly with Chousokabe's rugged contours. Motochika's kisses became rougher as he traveled down the man's neck while his hands began to explore Motonari's chest and curves. His fingers played with whatever they came in contact with making Mouri let out discreet yelps that quickly turned it quiet cries of indulgence.

Feeling that Motonari was heated enough, Motochika allowed his hand to venture lower into young lord's pants. A long slow breath escaped the pirate's mouth as he began to gently stroke the length. In reaction Mouri let out a moan into Chousokabe's ear as his back arched in reaction to the demon's touch. His hand was moving like the waves in the middle of the sea. Slow and calm to sudden fast and turbulent strokes.

Mouri was so immersed in the pleasure that he hadn't even noticed that the pirate had removed the remainder of his clothing. The nude sun child panted and whimpered as Chousokabe continued his handiwork. Motonari desperately grasped at the futon as his mind and body were drowning in a sea of sensual revelry. A line of saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth as his body was toyed with. To believe he'd yield to this man's hands…it was beyond him. But he couldn't fight it.

Chousokabe was enamored with Mouri's reactions. They were like precious gems each unique and endearing. The demon kissed the sun child's neck and left his marks as his hand's strokes sped up once again. The young lord Motonari's body tensed and he clenched at the fabric underneath him. He gasped as his body released its tension from the satisfaction. His breath was shortened and he glowed with a thin veil of his sweat and seed.

"That was fast," the one-eyed pirate lord said licking the fluid off of his fingers with a savvy grin.

Mouri spoke with short breaths as his chest rose up and down. "You speak far…too much…," he said catching his breath, "be silent…"

Consenting to Chuugoku's lord's need of a short break, Motochika pulled back to see Mouri's physique in full. Even in the dim lights of the fireflies, Mouri was glowing with sweat and it showcased his figure beautifully. His lean muscles and fit torso glistened with the perspiration in the dim illumination of the fireflies. Even though he was a man, seeing him now, in full like this, he really did look like a being incarnated by a celestial existence. His dark locks of hair were messily splayed on the white fabric that nicely framed his thin and defined face. Chousokabe brushed a few loose strands of auburn to the side as he peered into the water filled hazel eyes. They shimmered in the darkness, reflecting what little light there was present. But the tiny suns gazed straight into the drop of the purest sea that was Motochika's right eye, as if in need of something.

The pirate's lips curled into a smile. "Hn? What're you looki-"

Even in his current condition, Mouri had gathered enough strength to reach up and graze the sea lord's right cheek. His thin and delicate fingers were warm to the touch. But they wished to feel what was underneath the mauve fabric that was slung across his left eye. And those deep brown eyes wanted to see what was beyond the unknown. Before Chousokabe could stop him, the smaller warlord whipped the eye patch off revealing the scarred right eye.

Motochika openly objected, "What're you do-!"

Without hesitation, Motonari's fingers lightly touched the damaged eye. They traced over the ragged skin as if following a map. His touch was delicate but his finger left a warm tingle. His bright russet eyes studied his face carefully as if he was seeing Chousokabe for the first time. Mouri's eyes and hands then slowly traveled down to gaze and touch the rest of the pirate's scored and well used body. Even their bodies were polar opposites. Mouri had not so much as a scratch on his body; whereas, Chousokabe had scars on just about every part of his.

His eyes then returned back to the one eyed demon's face as his right hand cupped the pirate's right cheek. Mouri shifted to push himself up and brought his lips to gently caress the badly damaged eye. It was a very tender kiss and it was the first time in many years that the eye had been kissed by the sun.

After a few seconds, Motonari pulled back but his hand still rested on the right cheek. "I have always been curious to what laid hidden beneath that fabric," he said looking straight into the crescent blue eye, "and I found now to be an appropriate time to reveal it."

The oceanic warlord had never uncovered his eye to anyone. He kept it hidden as it was a symbol of imperfection. Most found it difficult to look at, not that he blamed them considering it was a terrible scar. The last person he had expected to accept, let alone see, the mangled eye, was Mouri. When the man had gazed at the wounded eye he didn't see a weak man reflected in it—he just saw the whole man. And the thought gave Motochika a sense of closure and relief that his one rival respected and accepted him in full.

A smile crept its way across Chousokabe's face as he placed a hand over Mouri's and kissed the sun child's palm. How much further would this guy draw him in? "Alright, I get it," he said as he lowered his head towards the fearless young warlord, "you can take the whole of me in all you want tonight, Mouri." His mouth skimmed over the brunette's forehead. "So enjoy it thoroughly," he said as he took Aki's lord's heated lips into a kiss. Mouri's arms braided themselves around the pirate's neck as their tongues danced in the kiss.

Chousokabe's hands resumed to stimulate the blessed sun child's supple body. He felt Mouri getting hard again and Motochika wished to further motivate it. He slid back letting his tongue glide from Mouri's neck and down. His white hair tickled Motonari's senses like the gentle tides. However, even the seemingly calm waters hold turbulent surfs. Mouri let out a loud cry when Chousokabe's mouth had reached its desired location.

"Chouso…kabe that's…," were the only words that Mouri could let out as he flowed into another moan.

The pirate of the sea knew what he was doing and despite how unreadable Mouri was on the battlefield, his body, tonight, was predictable like the inland sea was to Motochika. His mouth and tongue encircled Mouri in full making the lord spill out an earful of lustful moans. Satisfied with the situation, Chousokabe grinned as he moved back up to kiss and nibble at the aroused Mouri's neck and lips.

Panting and completely at the mercy of the hands of a sea loving fool, tears formed at the edges of his eyes as he felt a finger find its way inside of him. He bucked his hips the same time as his back arched in response. This man was like the unpredictable and merciless sea itself but Mouri's body and unconscious mind wished to further fall into this sea like the sun to the horizon line. Even though he felt the hands of the demon wrapping themselves around him like a undercurrent, his mind was at peace. In this fleeting night he felt serene. He heard himself letting out unthinkable sounds but his subconscious mind was floating on top of this vast ocean of pleasure while gazing up at the shining sun. Content, he closed his mind's eyes and let himself sink.

Mouri's erotic gasps of desperation trickled into Chousokabe's ears as if begging him to take him. The pirate of the Seto Sea licked his lips as drops of sweat began to form. From what he was feeling with his fingers, Motonari was pretty tight, then again, this was his first time be touched like this. After a few minutes, he slipped in another finger as they searched for the sun child's erogenous spot. It took only a matter of seconds for them to locate it as the agile warlord let out a loud exasperated cry. As his fingers began to move with more ease, Motochika felt that it was now or never and slid his fingers out.

The sun's child kept an eye on the pirate as he panted on the soft futon with his upper body contorted to the side. Chousokabe sat up as he began to strip his bottom half of clothing. The rustle of clothing crumpling to the floor reverberated throughout the room as Mouri felt the warm contact of pure flesh spread across him. But the moment was short lived as Motochika sat him up and lifted up one of Mouri's legs to suckle at the delicate skin of his inner thigh. Mouri's only blinked in silence as the pirate continued with his amatory acts.

"Mouri, put your arms around my shoulders," Chousokabe instructed as he settled the sun child on his hips, "You're going to need something to hold onto."

Motonari's hands hesitantly crept up to take hold of the demon's bare body. He was already over the fact that he was playing the role of the "woman" in this. All that mattered was he couldn't stop fate from playing its course. His logical mind was already overtaken by carnal instinct.

Taking a deep breath and lifting Mouri's hips, Chousokabe slowly brought the lord down on him. Now fully understanding why Motochika had directed him to take hold of him, Mouri let out a cry of pain while he clamped his arms and legs around the demon's rock solid body as he felt himself being gradually penetrated. Motochika had expected Motonari to tense the second he had entered him so he let out another a pained sigh.

"M-Mouri, relax," he said trying not to release then and there, "It's going to hurt a bit but it'll feel better s-"

"Shut…up…," hissed Mouri through his gasps, "Just get…on with…it…already."

Tch. How big can a guy's ego be?

"Fine, fine," he replied with a slight chuckle, as he felt Mouri loosen up a bit.

Chousokabe began to move his hips at a slow pace as he slid deeper into Mouri. Motonari had stopped him a few times with a snap, ordering him not to move but they were proven ineffective as Chousokabe pointed out that he was going to have to in order to "get on with it". Despite how attracted they were to each other, the two were still two sides of the same coin. Motochika paused when he felt himself completely inside of the nimble warlord.

Chousokabe pushed Mouri back from him slightly to look into his eyes. "I'm going to move," he warned.

"You're wh-ah!"

He was stopped in midsentence as the powerful thrusts began, causing small tears to fall from the corner of his eyes. His force really was a remarkable thing. Each thrust felt like it had all the power and vigor of the seas and his hands were strong and entangling like the currents. The sun could only embrace the demon as he felt his limbs go limp from each wave.

Mouri's cries and moans were enthralling. Each time he pushed himself into him, the louder he moaned in his ear. His hot breath and tender strands of hair that tickled his shoulder further fueled Chousokabe's desire and need to own this man. The warm being that had wrapped himself around him felt like a thousand sacred fires merged into one. He was losing his mind as he repeatedly entered and hit the young beauty of a lord's erogenous zone. This had to be the closest a man could feel to making love to a god.

Letting his animal-like instincts take hold, Chousokabe brought Mouri back down to the futon as he continued to ravage the man's lithe figure. The pain had long subsided and all that was remained was vast sea of pleasure. The fireflies outside flickered about as the two warlords of the Seto Sea continued to make passionate love to one another. The whirl of emotions was surreal as Mouri cried out as begged for release. Chousokabe bit his lip as he felt himself peaking and brought his body down upon the lean figure below. Chuugoku's fervent lord took Shikoku's impassioned lord in a tight embrace as the two released simultaneously.

Collapsing from exhaustion and satisfaction, Motochika flopped on the well spent Motonari. The two lay in the silence only feeling each other's heartbeats and the warmth of each other. The two had merged with each other and the mere thought was still unbelievable. After he caught his breath, Chousokabe pulled out and rolled to the side of the brunette. Mouri winced as he felt the foreign object leave his body and the feel of the alien substance flow out from him.

He turned on his side to face away from the pirate, which was heavily noticed by the worn seaman. "Now your hunger has been satisfied will you take your leave, demon?" he quietly asked.

Instead of a sudden verbal answer, he felt the robust arms wrap around his small structure from behind. Chousokabe inhaled Mouri's scent as he nuzzled the sun child's hair. "I need rest before I go," he said as he closed his eyes, "and ya' did say I was free to do whatever I wanted to tonight."

Tch. Using his own words against him.

Lord Mouri let out an irritated sigh, "Fine but if you are still here by sunrise, I'll make sure to cut you to pieces."

Motochika let out a chuckle as he threw the light cover over their naked bodies. "Scary," he smirked, "Don't worry your scrawny ass. I'll be gone soon enough. Just let me get a few hours of shut eye will ya'?"

Motonari complied and remained silent for the rest of the night. Chousokabe fell asleep first with the help of the blissful scent and feel of the sun against his chest. He was just as free and untamed as the sea he loved so much. Mouri on the other hand was perturbed how the man could easily fall asleep after having sex with his biggest rival like it was no big deal. He let out a small sigh and decided that this night would best remain as it never happened.

He thought of his wife and child but didn't feel guilty for his actions as he still loved his family dearly. It was simply that the connection that he shared with the Demon of the Western Seas was a bond deeper than love or hate. He set his thoughts aside as he shifted in the man's arms and looked outside. The fireflies were gone and all that remained was the dim moon and darkened trees. Mouri bit back a twinge of disappointment as he felt that the warmth he was feeling at this precious moment in time would fade away to darkness like the lightning bugs. He brought a hand up to touch the arms that were crossed over his chest as if to reconfirm that this was reality.

"Motonari…,"muttered the pirate in his sleep as he tightened his hold on the still awake young lord.

Mouri jumped at the sound of his name. It sent a chill down his spine to how sweet it sounded coming from Chousokabe's lips. And in that moment, a tear ran down his face. Surprised, Mouri brought his hand up to touch it. The one-eyed pirate lord's voice resonated though Motonari's entire body when he called his name. It touched him deeply and the very thought that someone would be able to affect him like that brought him to tears. Indeed they were rivals but they respected one another. The two shared an understanding of each other that no one else could possibly understand. Even if the whole world, that many were fighting so hard to conquer, were to fail to understand him, there was this fool.

This Demon of the Western Seas...was it any wonder to why this man had made my emotions captive? Only this wretched fool would be capable of sending my emotions into a vortex of chaos. Am I a fool for letting my heart be swayed by such an entity? I would assume so, but I am only human. And what mere human is capable of not falling for such a fearsome being?

Motonari gently planted a light kiss on the slumbering silver-haired demon's wrist before adjusting the covers and curling up in the soothing comfort of the sound of the sea's heartbeat against his back. "Good night...Motochika," he whispered.

Before he shut his eyes, he noticed one small light sitting on the thin tatami blinds that crumbled to the floor. Mouri tiredly watched it fly off outside towards the clouds of an approaching storm. But he didn't want to think of tomorrow or the war. He only wanted this moment of warm tranquility to continue onward to eternity. His eyelids fell as he drowned out the sounds of the coming storm. And for the first time in many years, Mouri soundly slept.

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><p><strong>Done. PHEW.<br>Well...that was painfully long wasn't it?  
>*shot*<br>This was a VERY long chapter to write and  
>I had re-written the BL scene a few times<br>to get it just right.  
>I don't like super smut so it was a bit of a challenge to<br>write that scene without it sounding too much like a porno.  
>I was up till about 2 am this week writing and editing this chapter so<br>I apologize if it sucked. I'm terrible at R-18 scenes only because they  
>take me a while to write.<br>But I hope you enjoyed the chapter.  
>I'm sorry if they went OOC. oTL<br>Next chapter will complete this short story.  
>I would like to send a big thank you out to my followers,<br>readers, favers, and reviewers for all your support.  
>I hope you continue to read this story to the very end<br>and please by all means share this story.  
>Please R&amp;R~ I love reading the reviews.<br>I love you guys and I hope you enjoyed this very LONG and WORDY  
>chapter. I know some of you might think it's painful to read.<br>I'm sorry! oTL But I had fun writing this.  
>I'll hopefully have this story finished by the end of the month.<br>Thank you so much again for reading  
>-Lin<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there all~  
>This chapter finally brings Captive to Captivate to an end.<br>What a ride it's been!  
>I hope you enjoy the conclusion to this lovely tale of<br>love and hate.  
>Thank you for all of your support and please read it to the very end!<br>DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "SENGOKU BASARA" OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! CAPCOM DOES!  
>I DO, HOWEVER, OWN THIS FANFIC!<strong>

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><p><strong>Sensou. Ai no Katachi. <strong>_**~War. The Shape of our Love.~**_

_The land we stand upon is one but divided._

_My heart can only be united with yours on the battlefield._

_When will I be able to hold you in my arms without fear?_

_I look upon the distant horizon._

_My blade cries out_

_Hoping I'll see you again._

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><p>Dawn came slower than expected. Mouri's soft breath in Chousokabe's arms was the only sound that echoed in the foggy morning. Motochika had slept well but the sun was due to rise at any given moment and he had to go. He sighed as his desire to escape had diminished greatly since last night. To believe that he had made love to Mouri was a shock but his heart felt at ease as it beat in synchronized time with the smaller lord in his arms. He smiled gently at the still slumbering Motonari; his chest rising and falling like a gentle wave. He carefully perched himself up as he looked out beyond the white covered morning.<p>

I can't see a damn thing, but I know the sun is coming.

He knew he had to leave before the mist cleared and doing so would dissolve the dream. His hand stroked a few strands of hair from Mouri's cheek and tucked them behind his ear. It was still unthinkable that he was able to be this close to him without either trying to kill one another. Was it selfish for him to want to remain a little while longer? If anything he didn't mind the thought of having the peacefully sleeping lord in his arms for a day.

The sound of horn from the nearby harbor brought him back to his senses. He sat himself up as he looked towards the clearing fog once again. The sea was calling him and his people needed him. Now wasn't the time to be self-centered and to give into temptation. The dream was ending and reality was returning. He hardened his heart as he left the futon and began to put on his scattered clothes.

The sounds of his straps and buckles quietly resonated through the room and Mouri rolled over in response to the clanking of metal and tying of fabric. Chousokabe peeked over his shoulder when he heard the young lord stir. In the dim morning light his skin looked all the more like that of a china doll. A smile edged its way onto his face as he watched the lord sleep. But alas the beating of wings further broke this ending peace.

"Come to pick me up?" he asked as his parrot landed on his outstretched arm.

The animal flapped its wings in response and tugged at its master's clothes as if telling him it was time to return to his duties.

Chousokabe let out a soft chuckle and stroked the bird, before releasing it back outside. "I'll be out soon," he said with a grin as he finished dressing himself. "Go wait with the others."

His bird let out a soft cry as it flew towards the sea. The demon looked out to the horizon and could barely make out the vast Seto Sea. The dream was gone and it was time to shove off, he knew if he turned around to see Mouri once more, he would not leave. He closed his eye as he slung the once removed eye-patch back over the hidden scar.

His fingers rested on the left eye as the faint gentle warmth from last night tingled the skin below the fabric. Embracing that warmth, he opened his blue eye and grabbed hold of his anchor as he began to step out of the threshold.

"To leave without even so much as a good-bye or a word of gratitude," came a sharp voice from behind him, "as expected of a lowly pirate." Mouri had been awake since Motochika's pet dropped in, but had chosen to keep silent as he felt there was no proper place for him to say anything.

Shikoku's lord smirked but refused to turn around. "I didn't want to wake the sleeping lord from his deep slumber," he said as he flexed his back, "And ya' did want me out of here before the sun came up."

"Indeed I did," he replied as he slipped into a robe, "but here you are."

"I was just on my way out."

"Indeed you are," he said as he loosely tied the robe shut. Mouri looked back over at the pirate's broad figure. "You best leave now before someone sees you."

"You're not going to stop me or chase after me the minute I leave are ya'?" he asked lifting the anchor over his shoulder.

"If you continue to babble nonsense, I might," he calmly snapped.

The two stood in silence as they both let the memories from the night before wash over them. It was unbelievable and both knew, without even saying a word, that it was a night that never happened. A dream. A fantasy. A lie. A secret. A taboo.

The sea breeze had began to pick up and the remainder of the mist on the land vanished. The emotions that rode the air between them were in melancholy. Both had so much to say but had nothing to speak of. Just as both opened their mouths to say something a war horn blared out in the distance and was quickly followed by the sound of cannon fire. The battle had begun and in a matter of seconds officers of the Mouri entered the room in a fuss.

"My Lord Motonari! Forgive our intrusion but Lord Toyotomi's troops have begun their atta-what is Lord Chousokabe doing here?!," the officer questioned as he reached for his sword.

Mouri felt no need to explain as he turned the man. "Stand down," he curtly ordered. "and wait for my orders."

The officer gaped his mouth open fighting the urge to question his lord but as he looked up into his lord's cold eyes he bowed and left with haste. The other bowed and closed the door before he stood outside of the room awaiting further orders.

Motonari closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. This dream was over. Whatever happened last night was in the past. There were much more important things to attend to. He had a war to fight and an army to command.

"Chousokabe, leave no-," his spoken words were cut short by his breath being taken into one last kiss. His hardening heart froze as he closed his eyes and fell into the kiss. This wasn't farewell; it was an unseen promise and a memory for a night that would remain nonexistent.

Motochika held Aki's lord in his arms with his hands cradling the back of his head and back. Mouri's hands rested on the sea lord's shoulder and chest as their bodies gently locked with one another.

When the kiss broke, Chousokabe could only smile as he turned and leapt onto the wooden railing. Their feelings and all that they were, translated themselves into that kiss. "See ya' later Mouri," he said as the wind blew through his sliver hair.

"Hmph."

A fool as always.

Mouri couldn't help but to let his lips curl into a small smile, "The next time we meet will be on the battlefield…huh?"

"Aye," the sea demon let out as he whipped his anchor beneath him. He turned and flashed one last smile at the sun child, "Just don't be late."

And with that, he jumped off of the railing and kicked his anchor's propulsion on sending him flying over the wall and into the wooded area. A cloud of dust, rubble, and trees trailed after the pirate's land surfing and Mouri's young troops were left baffled at what had just passed over them.

The loud explosion had summoned back the officers outside of the room.

"Milord! Are you unharmed?!" one asked in a concern and panic of the huge boom.

"I'm fine," he replied taking in the morning sun's rays.

"Lord Motonari, the troops from the capital have just engaged in battle," the other reported after being reassured that their lord was safe. He had been briefly briefed by his general of their commander's strategy and all that was left to do was to unleash it. "What are your orders, my lord?"

Unfazed, he turned to them with his all-commanding gaze. "Ready the men and send word to the troops at sea to commence the attack," An attendant entered with his clothes and fresh armor. "This is a battle that must be won in the name of Nichirin and for the land of Aki."

* * *

><p>There wasn't a doubt in his mind that his plan would work. Chousokabe's actions had blown all such concerns of failure out of the way. Even with the sea covered in the white mist, Mouri could only see checkmate.<p>

The battle was already underway and it was fierce. Toyotomi's army was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Chousokabe had finally managed to put his thoughts of Mouri away and all he was focused on was getting his men to safety and pushing back the enemy.

Can I make it in time?

The Demon clutched the iron chains in his hands as he kicked his anchor into high gear making violent waves upon the water. His teeth were clenched as he approached and as he got closer the more destruction he saw. He squinted as he tried to see through the blanket of white. He wasn't late but he was barely making it in time.

One of his men noticed him and shouted from the Fugaku, "CAPTAIN! YOU'RE BACK!" he cried with tears in in his eyes. The outburst was like a ripple on the water as he soon heard the welcoming cries and outbursts of his men.

He felt like he was at home once again. In fact he was. But now wasn't the time for a reunion party. That would have to wait till after the threat was gone.

Motochika quickly took out ten ships by ramming through them as he drew back around to protect his fortress. "Alright ya' dogs! Listen well! The Demon of the Western Seas has returned! We fight for what is rightfully ours and protect the waters we sail upon!" he yelled as he jumped on to his ship. "So fight like hell and lets send these landlubbers to their watery graves!"

With their spirits raised, they shouted in unison in reply to their long awaited captain. Their defense turned to offense and soon the army of Shikoku had begun to push the enemy back.

The naval lord kept his merciless and brutal assaults fast and unforgiving. Things were going well. "Keep it up men! We got them!" he yelled in encouragement.

However, he began to question why things were going so smoothly. The other side was fighting well…so why? His thoughts drifted. Was it because he had been away from the battlefield for so long? No…all the more reason this fight should be posing as a much bigger challenge. After fighting with Mouri for so long, he was keen on these types of situations.

Something was wrong.

And in that moment his eyes locked with Takenaka Hanbei and in that split second he saw the masked man smile.

Shit!

He looked at the ships and his eyes widened at the amount of canons and firepower they had. Considering that Chousokabe had a high regard of himself for his grand arsenal, this came as a shock that someone other than himself had managed this feat. He would expect something like this from Mouri but then again, Hanbei was just as gifted as a strategist as Mouri was.

In a matter of milliseconds the canons fired at Chousokabe's ships as well as the Fugaku. Motochika had managed to dodge the barrage of fire arms and took out two ships. But the damage the other side had dealt was big. Several of his ships became nothing more than a shower of splinters and carnage. The Fugaku had managed to stay afloat after the gruesome attack but it would not be so lucky if another wave hit. The one-eyed demon found his footing on one of his own vessels but from the corner of his eye he spotted several enemy ships emerging from out of the sea fog.

So he's got us surrounded….he used the fog to his advantage.

The mist was clearing but he was at a complete loss. Hanbei had dragged him to this spot. He hadn't even noticed how far they had pushed them back. He let out a curse as he'd be damned if he'd let himself be captured again.

"Tch, completely surrounded," he hissed under his breath. Unlike last time, he was the only one at a loss.

"Chousokabe Motochika," called out Hanbei from his ship, "surrender now and I shall let you and your men live."

The pirate lord only let out a smirk. "Hah. How many times have I heard that line spouted?" he asked, "And every time I've heard it, I ended up killing the bastard that said it."

"Does that go for Mouri Motonari I wonder?" the tactician smiled.

His one visible eye narrowed. "Mouri's different from you," he sneered, "That son of a bitch is my rival, my equal—and we'll fight to the death one day. Which is why I won't die here."

Hanbei's eyes remained unchanged as he continued to smile. "I see," he replied, "how unfortunate."

Even with his pompous words, Chousokabe was trapped. There was no way he'd be able to dodge another barrage of canon fire. If this was how it was going to end for him, he wasn't happy with it. This wasn't a fight…this was a game. But the game Hanbei was playing wasn't out of fun, it was out of blind loyalty to a tyrant that felt nothing for the people he conquered. Perhaps it was a sentiment to be admired but for some reason it felt wrong to Shikoku's lord. Toyotomi was a peculiar warlord and his motives and fighting style were brutal. He wasn't aiming to take over this country out of love or noble ideas…he was doing this out of hate. Motochika didn't know why and he didn't want to know. He didn't care. But he'd roll in his grave if he was killed by the fools that followed such a leader.

He was out of options and he bit his lip out of frustration. If he had just stayed with Mouri, would he find himself in this same predicament? His gaze shifted over to his men. No, he had made the right choice. As a lord and captain, he would die with his men with his head held high. However his men, like him, were full of frustration and the desire to continue to live and fight.

Should he send them forward to their deaths? Either way they were dead.

Taking in the thought it was the only way to die in this situation. If he had to go out, he'd go down fighting and being remembered as a man that fought to the death.

"There's no other choice," he muttered as he began to take a step forward.

Sorry Mouri. Looks like we won't be able to settle things between us after all.

Hanbei raised his hand and dropped it. "Fir-"

The order was interrupted when a sudden blast of light emerged from out of the water destroying two of Toyotomi's ships.

"What is this?" Hanbei could only ask in horrified shock as two more pillars of light destroyed four more.

Chousokabe and his men could only gawk at the scene. The men shielded their eyes as the bright lights wiped out the remainder of the fog. The columns of light stretched to the sky and broke through the clouds revealing the sun. Motochika was in disbelief. He had seen those beautiful destructive pillars a number of times. He'd usually curse them but, at this moment they were like a god send miracle.

However, Toyotomi's men did not share the same sentiments as they were rattled at the sudden attack.

"What was that?!"

"Where did it come from?!"

The questions were being shouted from all around. Hanbei bit his lip at the realization of what just happened. Or rather, who the cause of it was and sternly ordered the men to reorganize themselves quickly.

"A miscalculation on my part," Hanbei muttered under his breath with a frown. "I never would have guessed you'd show up here."

Hanbei looked ahead and saw a fleet approaching. The crest that donned them was that of the Mouri. The silver haired one-eyed demon looked behind him. Half happy-half concerned.

Was he here to destroy them both? Or was he here as back up? And if he was, who was he back up for?

"To imagine I'd see the day where the fearsome Demon of the Western Seas would be trapped in the middle of his namesake," echoed the sharp and rigid voice, "I'm rather disappointed at this laughable sight."

Toyotomi's tactician smiled out of distain as he uttered the name of the surprise assailant. "Mouri Motonari."

* * *

><p>Mouri stood atop one of his ships' bows. His eyes locking firmly with Hanbei's. "You're rather far from your threshold, Takenaka Hanbei," he coolly spoke, "You are not one that these waters openly welcome."<p>

The white strategist let out a chuckle. "These waters don't exactly have an official owner yet," he said as he spared a look towards Chousokabe, "I simply wish to claim these open waters for Lord Hideyoshi."

Mouri and Chousokabe both twitched at the comment. However, Chousokabe's twitch turned into a snap. "These waters are mine to sail upon! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Mouri glanced at the enraged pirate before he closed his eyes. "Fool," he muttered under his breath as he turned his attention back to the masked man. "Takenaka Hanbei," he inquired, "leave and return to your lord. I shall only be held accounted for the number of ships I destroy and take."

"Oh, an interesting thought," the man said with a smile, "But I think you'll find yourself utterly outnumbered even if you join forces with Lord Chousokabe."

Aki's lord let his arm rise as he let the opposite rest on his hip. "Whoever said I'd join forces with him?" He asked before dropping his arm allowing a number of fire tipped arrows fly up over him and raining down upon both sides, causing explosions to occur all around. "Your weapons may be superior but do not be foolish to think that, that gives you the right to claim victory."

Motochika felt the twinge of betrayal but there was nothing for him to feel betrayed about. Mouri and him were enemies, no matter what had happened between them.

Mouri let out several quick orders and whispered something to one of his higher ranking officers before bringing out his blade. Chousokabe bit his lip and yelled over to his men. The only choice was to engage both enemies. Yet some part of him was conflicted with his decision.

"Boys atta-"

Before he could finish his order, Mouri dashed passed him allowing their eyes to meet. They captured his undivided attention. Those warm dark eyes flashed at him with not a hint of cold malice or killer intent as they usually did. Instead they held the need of understanding and held unspoken words.

Defend this territory demon, if it holds such value to you. Act with haste, fool.

Chousokabe blinked after the message was received. He looked around him and noticed that most of the arrows that had hit his ships only landed on the decks and if they had hit people the injuries were not fatal. Mouri's archers were well known for their accuracy. And for the majority of their shots to be rather ineffective, came as a surprise. Indeed, he had heavily damaged some of his ships but the only ones that were destroyed and had exploded were the ones from Toyotomi's side.

So that was his deal.

"Heh, you sneaky rascal," he muttered with a smile, "I don't like being used as your pawn but it seems as if it's the only chance I got." He swung his anchor around and yelled to his men, "Alright ya' bastards! Focus on defending the fortress and aim for Toyotomi's forces! Leave those two smartasses to me! But keep up on your toes less you want an arrow in your back!"

"Aye aye, sir!" they yelled as they attacked.

However, it wasn't like the fight had paused for all of this, Hanbei's men had reformed quickly and continued their assault but it wasn't as effective thanks to the Mouri's positioning and quick shooting. Not to mention their general was proving to be rather effective as he cut down several men with ease. Chousokabe flew off of his landing and skid on the water as he made his way over to the main ship, taking out several of Toyotomi's smaller ships.

They were working together but they made it look like they were moving on their own accord. There was no organization to their attacks. Mouri's forces were moving in new unrecognizable patterns and with Chousokabe's running amok with lack of any real precision, order was lost.

Hanbei was having difficulty coming up with a plan. He had come up with the possibility that the two sides would combine as one but not like this. Predictability was little to none and the longer he tried to come up with a plan, the more damage he took.

Mouri was not concerned in taking out the leader; reason being, Lord Toyotomi wasn't there. And the Lord Motonari would leave the destruction of the pesky pawn to the pirate. Aki's lord was focused purely on immobilizing the fleet. Chousokabe, according to plan, was focused on taking out the main ship.

Takenaka Hanbei had not seen such random warfare before. It was random but something about it wasn't. They were separate but one. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. And by that he meant he was trapped between a sea demon and a sun child.

And it was then that an officer ran next to him in desperation. "Lord Hanbei! We have gotten word that the attack on Aki's eastern border has failed! The troops are falling back!" he reported.

His eyes hardened. It wasn't possible. The reports had given word that the forces had been focused on the western front. But now that said report had proven to be useless. Mouri had predicted his every move.

Mouri had brought over a large portion of his military over to the west. But he had ordered several troops to remain along the eastern border. The day before this battle, he had commanded that the majority of his men to fall back to the east in the cover of night. He had to take the chance and believe that they would make it in time. However, the factor that he had bet everything on was Chousokabe. If had not come to his quarters that night, everything would have fallen apart. Trust was something that he was not fond of but he'd use it to his advantage.

The only thing that Mouri had not anticipated was that he'd bed with Shikoku's lord. He had wanted the pirate lord to simply come to retrieve his anchor and leave, thinking that if he had just handed the weapon over to Motochika, some level of trust would have been achieved. But alas, emotions and feelings were pesky and curious things. And Chousokabe Motochika did tend to work outside of Mouri's calculations, which was why he couldn't help but to think the man as terribly interesting. Regardless, everything had mostly worked according to plan.

Mouri had taken out several ships and found himself leaping on top of the remains of a ship he destroyed. Chousokabe, on the other hand, had dealt heavy damage to Hanbei's ship and would have finished it off if the strategian hadn't lashed his whip at him.

The silver haired demon hadn't collided with Hanbei before so this was relatively new. He fought with similar poise and practice as Mouri did with his blades but it was different.

"Tch, long range weapons are a pain in the ass," he cursed as he blocked the deadly metal whip.

Mouri simply stood and watched the fight as if lying in wait for something to happen. He had no intention of getting involved in a duel when he had already redeemed himself by outsmarting Hanbei. In his eyes he had already won. For now, he had to simply wait and see the rest play out.

Takenaka Hanbei was locked in combat with Chousokabe; clashing with each other in midair and on the fire covered shipwrecks. The visibility was harsh as the smoke coming from the fires was heavy. The only thing that gave their locations away, were their shimmering blades.

Hanbei's whip blade coiled around Motochika's anchor and the two were in a deadlock. It was then that Takenaka took the time to analyze the destruction. Despite how much he resented retreating, it was the best choice of action. The attack was a failure on his part and he wouldn't lose anymore of Hideyoshi's men. He bit his lip. He had one final plan. It would allow them to successfully retreat and it would most likely kill several enemy forces. And Motochika was in the perfect position to get caught in the aftermath. His mouth curled into a devious smile as he and Chousokabe broke away from one another. Motochika had landed on some damaged vessel as Hanbei gracefully touched down on the main ship.

"Retreat," Hanbei said to his officer, "We're leaving but burn them when we're out of range."

Chousokabe furrowed his brow. "You're running away huh?" he yelled with an irritated smirk. "Even after all that big talk."

"We shall finish this another day Lord Chousokabe," he replied turning his back to him. "Of course there won't be a next time for you," he mumbled to himself.

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><p>Chousokabe wasn't one to usually let his prey get away but seeing how his ships and the Fugaku were in need of repairs, he decided to let them go. There was no way he'd be able to take the rest of them out on his own. He needed his ships. He let out a small curse as he slammed his anchor into the wood of the ship ruin he was standing on.<p>

From Motonari's point of view, Hanbei was preparing to retreat; which was what Mouri had wanted to happen. However, something didn't feel right. Mouri's eyes narrowed as he looked around at the battlefield. It was dying down and the remains of Toyotomi's people were starting to fall back; but most of the men were abandoning their mildly damaged ships and were attempting to get to the main vessel.

Why? Those ships are still seaworthy…

It didn't make any sense to him. He needed to get a better understanding of the situation but his gut was telling him not to get too close. He had to move fast, he leapt from his post to get a closer look at the ships and from what he saw, nothing was seriously wrong with them. In the background he heard Chousokabe's men rejoicing at the retreat. But it felt like an ill omen to Motonari. He was missing something.

Chousokabe let out a sigh as he picked up his anchor and started to make his way back over to his boys. He found the thought of letting a snake like Hanbei escape, grinded upon his nerves and he was better off letting it go. He looked up to see Mouri looking at an abandoned ship floating and he let out a sigh.

Already scavenging for materials?

He smiled as gazed at the young warlord from afar. "Don't expect a thank you or anything," he muttered, "but I'm grateful that you came."

Yet Chousokabe was off on the mark. Mouri was examining the mild wreckage for some sort of answer to his concerns. Just as he was about to give up he looked down and noticed something was wrong with the water. He knelt down and squinted as he cautiously put his hand into the water. As he brought it up he noticed it wasn't clear and it smelled of chemicals.

This is…

His eyes widened as he pieced the rest of the puzzle together. Mouri quickly got to his feet and began to make his way back to his ships away from the chemical tainted waters.

He modified my tactic from my prior battle with Chousokabe…they're leaking chemicals into the water and if I'm correct when they're far enough he'll set this sea ablaze.

Motonari was fast and light on his feet as he trotted across the water over towards safety but Chousokabe was simply sitting in place as his men sailed over to him. Morui noticed this and stopped by landing on ship wreck.

What is he doing?! Does he not see the water? Fool…look at the water.

Mouri glanced over to his ships and then back at his oblivious rival. His brown gaze then turned to see Hanbei's vessel and calculated that they would fire within a minute or thirty seconds. He was already at a safe distance but Chousokabe would be annihilated.

Then the thought dawned on him: If the pirate was killed then the Seto Sea was Mouri's to claim.

However, the thought of leaving him to die in such a manner caused his chest to tighten. The memories from the previous night weighed heavy on his mind and he felt a sudden twinge of concern and fear for the Demon's life.

No. Why was he hesitating? This was a once in a lifetime chance, so why was he hesitating to simply walk away and let karma take its course? It was Chousokabe's fault for not realizing the danger; thus, it was natural for him to die by his own stupidity.

But would Mouri be satisfied with his rival dying in such a way?

Motonari turned on his heel and began to make his way towards his ship. He was a warlord before anything else and it'd be foolish for him to yield to his emotions and the remaining warmth from one night.

"_Do you wish for it to end like this?" _

The voice in the back of his head rang loud and true. Chuugoku's lord was not one prone to hesitation and second thoughts.

"Shut up…"

The seconds were dwindling away.

_"Are you certain you won't regret leaving him to die like a pawn?"_

He gripped his swords' hilts and clenched his teeth. He could feel time slipping away as the waves crashed against the creaking wood beneath his feet.

"Why would I? He's been a thorn in my side since the first moment we met."

_"So that is the extent of your feelings…how unfortunate."_

Mouri froze as the voice silenced itself and he felt cold as the sun peaked. He did not want Chousokabe to die here. They needed to settle things between them properly and he wouldn't let that masked pawn take that chance away from him. He had his answer but did he have the determination and strength to move?

The sun's heat reached him once again as if taking him into her arms and urging her son forth. Now wasn't the time for him to be standing idly by, he had to make a dash for the wading pirate. He pushed off the wood and propelled himself forward.

Would he reach him?

Seeing how Mouri's ships were standing by he didn't see them as a threat and for now the two sides were at peace. He looked up at the sun and took in the rays. The heat felt good and the water that rocked him around like a cradle brought him peace. He was back where he belonged. He stretched as he looked over to see his boys slowly making their way to him as they cautiously weaved around the newly created ship graveyard.

But from the corner of his eye he noticed a speck of green making its way towards him. He cocked his head and blinked.

What the hell is Mouri coming over here for?

He squinted his eye and stepped towards the approaching warlord. Something seemed to have gotten him into a tizzy and it was unusual to see the composed brunette to look so desperate. The mere sight of it was so peculiar that he almost lost his footing. He quickly drew his foot back out of the water and took a step back. He let out a loud curse and shook of the water off but as he did, he felt something was off about the water's consistency. He dropped to a crouch and dipped his hand into the sea water. His eyes narrowed as he saw the multi colored swirls of chemicals. He shot up and looked around him and saw he was in a pit of tainted waters.

SHIT!

He quickly turned to his men. "Turn back!" he yelled.

Mouri bit his lip and urged his legs forward.

So he finally figured it out but…

It was then that the two men heard a high pitched screech and something that could be compared to an approaching rainfall. A cannon had been fired along with that of a thousand flaming arrows. The silvered haired demon could only stare at the onslaught with disbelief but Mouri's attention was only focused solely on reaching the stranded man.

Time seemed to move slowly from that point. Mouri whipped his blades out and allowed them to draw in the sun's energy. He only had one chance and survival was slim, but he'd be damned if he'd let some desperate last minute attack to take the life of the man he had called dibs on killing. Failure was not an option. With one last burst of energy Mouri leapt onto the crumbling shipwreck and rushed between the approaching flames and pirate.

"Mouri?!"

Chuugoku's lord did no reply as he lashed his ring blade before him and whipped them around the two as fast as he could, creating a barrier of light. In that exact moment, the first arrows and cannonball touched down on the flammable surface of water.

Without even thinking, Shikoku's lord took the lean warlord into his arms and dropped to the deck as the fire collided against the shimmering shields of light. The force alone knocked Aki's lord's helmet off into the flames. The infernos twisted and contorted around the barriers creating a vortex of flames that flared up towards the heavens. Inside the eye of the firestorm, everything went white and the two felt themselves lose consciousness. But in that split second, they were content at feeling their heartbeats against one another as they fell into the water below.

* * *

><p>The sea's waves bobbed everything back and forth. Despite the two being surrounded by destruction the sky that peeked beyond the smoke was so pure and blue. Chousokabe found some reserve of strength as he popped himself and Mouri out of the water. He was barely holding onto his consciousness and everything hurt. Motonari coughed out a wad of water before falling unconscious. The sea demon looked around them and grabbed a piece of drift wood to sling them on.<p>

He felt his lungs burn and a sharp pain stabbed at his side as he threw the unconscious sun child onto it. From his blurring vision he saw a ship of the Mouri and of his own approaching from either side. His eardrums were rattled and his fading hearing could barely make out the shouts of their soldiers. His eyelids dropped when he felt them being fished out of the water.

* * *

><p>When he woke up next, he was in his private quarters of the Fugaku. He looked around him, taking in the change of environment. His mind slowly pieced together reality. The softness of his bed almost made him fall asleep again. How long had he been out? Were his men okay? And was Mouri alright?<p>

His parrot squawked and he turned his head to the bird that was perched next to him. A sailor entered the room at the feathered creature's outburst.

"Captain! You're awake!" the boy cried and yelled down the hall informing others of his regaining consciousness.

"You're too loud," he said as he pushed himself up, "Don't make a fuss."

The young lad rushed in followed by a flood of men as they crowded around their returned lord. He was welcomed with praises and sobs of joy. He knew he had been missed but seeing how he had escaped death twice in such a short period time he couldn't help but to feel thankful to be alive.

"Captain, we're so glad you're back!" one man cried as he wiped his eyes.

"Are ya' able to talk? Tell us of how ya' survived in prision? What was it like in there?" a young sailor.

"Idiot! He needs rest! We can hear his tale after he's recovered!" spoke an older officer.

His men wanted to hear of his stories but he, too, had a few questions he wanted to be answered.

"I'll heal fine," he gruffly said wincing at this side, "But before I rest, I need someone to tell me what the hell happened."

Before anyone could give him a reply, a sharp voice rang from the door. "You avoided death by getting away with a few burns, a broken arm and a few shattered ribs."

The sailors turn their heads simultaneously and cleared a way to allow their lord to see the speaker. Chousokabe's blue eye met with a pair of brown eyes. Mouri was flanked by his own officers as he looked on at the injured demon. He was in some lighter robes but he noticed some bandages on his chest.

So he had gotten injured. But they didn't seem too serious.

Motochika couldn't help to smile in relief. "Well good to see that you're still an ass," he chuckled. Mouri said nothing but he whispered to his men to leave them alone. Taking the hint, the bedridden lord requested his men to wait outside.

"But captain!" they protested.

"I'm be fine," he beamed, "I don't think either of us are capable of killing each other at the moment."

With a hint of hesitation, the sailors slipped out sneaking a look at the cold beauty that was Aki's lord. The door closed behind them with a loud thud and Mouri crossed over the threshold to stand next to the bed in silence.

Chousokabe was the first to speak. "That was a pretty intense fight, wasn't it Mouri?" he said with a bright smile. Mouri's head did not rise and his silence continued. Motochika scratched the back of his head and raised his hand up to Mouri's cheek. "Um…looks like ya' got injured from that last blast. You're not in any pain are y-"

"But, you were the one that took the most damage," Mouri cut in as he felt the coarse hand against his cheek. "You shielded me from that impact."

The pirate shifted himself up to get a better look at the pained warlord. "Well you're the one put up those barriers first. If it weren't for those we would have been charred."

"That's not the point!" the sun child snapped with his eyes brimming with anger. "Stupidity can only go so far! How could you fall for such a laid out trap?! You're a biggest fool I have ever met, and by far the most stubborn!"

"Well was I supposed to let ya' die after you saved mine?!" the silver demon hissed.

The young lord opened his mouth but no words came out. He could say nothing and his eyes turned from anger to overwhelming relief as he buried his cheek into the sea withered hand. His brown eyes shimmered in the light and threatened to tear at any given moment as he brought a hand over the pirates'. Chousokabe stiffened at the sight and smiled.

If only he was this honest all the time.

They were rivals but that bond had morphed into something else. Something more. Mouri would not let anyone see his tears and he'd rather die than shed them over some lowly pirate. However, this was a special case and he silently cried into the shoulder of his wounded sea demon. The son of the sea gingerly took the sun child into his arms as he closed his eyes to feel the warm drops fall on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>The seasons moved on and the two warlords recovered from their wounds over the course of the passing time. Things, for the most part, returned to normal and a gull flew overhead as the Fugaku sailed along the sea. The pirate stood atop as he gazed out at Aki's shoreline. The Seto Sea leaders' fleets had collided on occasion but for the most part the two were focused on rebuilding their forces and passed by each other without so much as a glance. Chousokabe hadn't seen much of Mouri seeing as the commander rarely boarded a ship unless he was prepared for a battle. Motochika felt a bit lonely with the sun worshipping lord's absence but it couldn't be helped.<p>

This day was like any other and Shikoku's warlord was overseeing the repairs and building of his ships. Not far from them he noticed the Mouri doing the same. There was nothing out of the ordinary for the most part, but as a ship passed by, a familiar green armor caught Motochika's attention.

"Captain, looks like Lord Mouri is checking the fleets today," an officer informed him. "Do you think we should prepare to attack?"

Chousokabe rested a foot on his anchor. "No, I don't sense any killer intent from him, but keep your guard up," he said.

Mouri sat meditating in the shade as one of his soldiers reported to him before trotting off elsewhere on the vessel. When he was left alone, Mouri stood up and looked over at the nautical lord as he passed by.

Even if it was only a few seconds, the two locked gazes with one another. Neither flinched at the sight of the other; there was no need for an exchange of words or arrows. And like that, the two passed one another as if nothing had ever happened between the two of them.

The two had strengthened their bond and one day they would destroy each other. Nothing else, besides that fact, mattered. Neither had a doubt in their mind that, that day would one day come. But both treasured that one fateful night they had shared together. The sun and the sea stilled as the two sons found themselves content, having a better understanding of the other. No doubt that the two would most likely share many more fateful encounters with one another, but for now, the two warring sons put their differences aside in this time of peace.

The wind blew over them and allowed the two to take in the Seto Sea. Chousokabe closed his eyes as the sun's intense heat caressed his bare skin while Mouri felt the cool sea spray upon his face. Both warlords thought of the other in anticipation of meeting once again on the battlefield. A seagull passed overhead, flying to the sunset as a feather danced in the warm sea breeze.

* * *

><p><strong>And that was Captive to Captivate!<br>I hope it ended to all your liking~  
>I want to thank all my supporters, readers, and reviewers.<br>I ended this story on a lighter note but I hope you all liked this  
>fanfic.<br>My next fanfic should start up sometime before the end of the year.  
>It will probably be based off of the video game Ib or Blazblue.<br>I have yet to decide but I am leaning towards Ib.  
>Thank you so so much for reading and reviewing.<br>R&Rs are always welcome.  
>Please share this story with your friends if you liked it and feel free to<br>drop in a review to tell me what you thought of this love story!  
>Thank you all again and see you soon.<br>-Lin, writing off.**


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